President-elect William Lai (賴清德) yesterday tapped former Cabinet secretary-general Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) to be the next premier, to take office after the inauguration on May 20.
Lai made the announcement at a news conference in Taipei, at which he unveiled the slogan “an active and innovative Cabinet,” or “AI” Cabinet.
Cho, 65, served as the Cabinet secretary-general from September 2005 to January 2006 and again from September 2017 to December 2018, when Lai was premier under President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Lai stepped down from the post in late December 2018 to run for DPP chairman, a role left vacant following Tsai’s departure after the party’s defeat in local elections in November 2018.
Cho served as DPP chairman from January 2019 until Tsai began her second term as president, before returning as the head of the party in May 2020.
During his tenure from 2019 to 2020, Cho played a key role in navigating a contentious primary race between Lai and Tsai.
Cho is known as a relatively soft-spoken negotiator, with more than three decades of experience in government as a city councilor, legislator, presidential secretary-general and Cabinet member.
He largely stayed out of politics following Tsai’s return, until he was invited to join Lai’s campaign last year.
More recently, Cho was a member of a “study group” convened by Lai that helped formulate the candidate’s national infrastructure platform, and was a key member of Lai’s presidential campaign, organizing overseas support organizations.
During yesterday’s news conference, Lai said Cho was a perfect choice for premier because he is known for his communication skills and has prioritized national interests ahead of party differences.
“We’ve worked together for the same causes, and we have trusted and supported each other,” Lai said.
Cho said he was honored to take up the post, pledging to do his best.
He said he was given three major tasks by Lai, the first of which is to build an “active and innovative Cabinet” to transform Taiwan into a “smart tech island.”
The second is to establish a communications platform to solicit public opinion on major issues where a social consensus has not yet been formed to resolve difficult problems, he said.
The third is to create a “healthy Taiwan” by promoting equal rights and expanding investment in projects of concern to young people, such as affordable housing, education, employment and childcare, he said.
Cho told reporters that he would announce his other Cabinet members soon, adding that he would reach across party lines.
“I hope this active, innovative ... Cabinet, will as in the past uphold the spirit of a great democratic alliance, using people based on their talents without distinction to party affiliations and proactively training a younger generation,” he said.
Lai also named former minister of culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) as vice premier, National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) as secretary-general and former Taichung city councilor Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) as spokesman.
Cheng, who served as Tsai’s culture minister throughout her first term, was a central pillar in shaping Lai’s policy platform during his presidential campaign.
The 54-year-old has not held an official position since she left the culture ministry in 2020, but has remained active in nonprofit organizations with liaison to the Tsai administration.
They include the General Association of Chinese Culture, which is headed by Tsai with Cheng as one of her deputies.
The association, with a mission to expand Taiwan’s cultural outreach, has been responsible for the visuals designed for Double Ten National Day celebrations and has hosted the Presidential Culture Awards for several years.
Kung has headed up the National Development Council since May 2020 while also serving as the Cabinet’s minister without portfolio since 2019. Before that, he was deputy economics minister for nearly one-and-a-half years.
The 60-year-old has been a principal architect of some of Tsai’s major policies, including shaping Taiwan’s 2050 net zero carbon emissions campaign and programs to promote the development of the cybersecurity, precision health, renewable energy and national defense sectors.
Local media have reported that National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄), a lawyer by training, would likely take over as defense minister from Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正), a former army commander.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) would likely succeed Koo as head of the National Security Council, they reported.
National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥), who had previously served as Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the EU, would stay on as head of the intelligence agency, the reports added.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS