Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) is expected to nominate Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) president Wu Rong-i (吳榮義) as vice premier as early as today, after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice chairman and former Council for Economic Planning and Development chairman Chiang Pin-kun (江丙坤) refused the offer, reports said yesterday.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times and United Daily News yesterday reported that Wu is going to be appointed by Hsieh as vice premier, but Wu declined to comment.
`NO IDEA'
Wu said that he had no idea regarding the matter, which he described as "an appointment made by the media."
He also declined to confirm whether he has been sounded out by Hsieh about such an appointment.
However, the Chinese-language China Times yesterday said that Taiwan's WTO representative, Yen Ching-chang (顏慶章), is also a front runner for the vice premiership.
Premier Hsieh said Tuesday that he already has a suitable candidate for the vice premiership who "is able to handle the overall economic situation, capable of dealing with international affairs and who is not a member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party."
Wu is widely believed to be the person described by Hsieh.
Describing speculation as "impolite" and as making unnecessary trouble for those named, Hsieh said he will announce the appointment within the next few days.
However, he joked that the candidates named by the media are not bad and maybe he will start to think about them.
Hsieh extended an invitation to Chiang in January to serve as his deputy and later said he would not contact any other potential candidates ahead of the Feb. 17 deadline that he set for a response from the KMT on the appointment of Chiang. The KMT has set six preconditions which Hsieh said go beyond his authority to meet.
NEW POSTINGS
In related news, Hsieh yesterday approved the appointment of Department of Health Deputy Director-General Ho Sheng-mao (
Ho will replace the department's acting director-general, Wang Hsiu-hung (王秀紅). In turn, Wang will become one of the department's deputy director-generals.
Meanwhile, Hsieh approved Tuesday the appointment of former Kaohsiung City Government Department of Mass Rapid Transit Systems director-general Chou Li-liang (
Chou will replace Tsai Tui (
Also see stories:
RESILIENCE: Taiwan plays a key role in semiconductors, energy, information infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, AIT Director Raymond Greene said Taiwan’s continued investment in deterrence and resilience remains vital, especially in uncrewed systems and other emerging technologies, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday. Greene made the remarks at the annual National Strategic Summit on Supply Chain Resilience held by the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET), a government-backed think tank. As Taiwan last year became the US’ fourth-largest trading partner and supply chain security is becoming more important, cooperation in emerging technologies continues to deepen between the two countries, he said. The US is committed to accelerating innovation, building key infrastructure, strengthening cooperation
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
RIGHT DIRECTION: Taiwan’s efforts to prevent forced labor include a proposal to ‘fully prohibit’ employers from withholding workers’ documents, an official said Taiwan is to establish a mechanism to restrict imports of goods linked to forced labor, the Executive Yuan said yesterday, after the US proposed imposing additional tariffs on Taiwanese goods over labor concerns. “The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Economic Affairs are to establish an interministerial review procedure,” Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “The government is to use the Foreign Trade Act [貿易法] as the legal basis to restrict imports of goods produced with forced labor” and bring its supply chain governance more in line with international standards on human rights, resilience
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
RSS