Bank of Kaohsiung chairman Lee Ruey-tsang (李瑞倉) was yesterday appointed as the chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission amid a crisis engulfing the nation’s highest financial regulatory body.
Premier Lin Chuan (林全) feels that Lee has the ability to lead the commission, based on Lee’s experience as a close aide during Lin’s tenure as minister of finance, Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said.
“Lee worked with Lin for a long time when Lin was at the ministry, so the premier has a considerable understanding of Lee’s abilities and perspectives,” Hsu said.
Lee, a graduate of National Chengchi University’s Department of Land Finance, served as acting minister and vice minister of the ministry and as the director-general of the National Property Administration.
“Although Lee’s background is in land administration, there should be no problem regarding his qualifications,” Hsu said, in response to questions about Lee’s qualifications.
Lee’s appointment at the bank was based on a recommendation by Lin, who has decided to reassign him to the commission, Hsu said, when asked if Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) had made suggestions regarding Lee’s position.
Lee is to take over from commission Acting Chairman Huang Tien-mu (黃天牧), who filled the post after former chairman Ding Kung-wha (丁克華) resigned on Oct. 3 to assume responsibility for Mega International Commercial Bank’s (兆豐銀行) violation of US money laundering laws and a failed tender offer involving XPEC Entertainment Inc (樂陞科技).
The New York Department of Financial Services in August fined Mega Bank’s New York branch US$180 million fine over its failure to comply with money-laundering regulations and a lack of a compliance oversight.
A failed acquisition of XPEC by a Japanese-run firm is rumored to have been a scheme to cheat investors, as XPEC’s stock price soared on the news of the acquisition in May, but plummeted in August after the tender offer was rescinded.
Lin and Lee are to discuss the appointment of a new vice chairperson for the commission, Hsu said.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei