■ Politics
Former premier dies at 93
Former premier Sun Yun-suan (孫運璿), hailed as the architect of Taiwan's dynamic economic growth since the 1980s, died of heart failure yesterday. He was 93. A senior adviser to the president, Sun was hospitalized for heart and lung complications last month and died early yesterday at the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei, his doctors said. President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) sent condolences to Sun's family and hailed him as the "creator" of Taiwan's "economic miracle." Born in China, Sun arrived in Taiwan in 1945 and was assigned by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime to rebuild the nation's power supply system. The nation's per capita GNP was US$320 when Sun, an engineer by training, became economic minister in 1969. By the time he stepped down from the premiership in 1984, per capita GNP had risen to US$3,000. Sun is also remembered for his decision to set up a government-funded industrial research institute and develop the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park. He is survived by his wife and four children.
■ Foreign affairs
Diplomat suspected of graft
The Taiwanese representative to New Zealand has been accused of corruption and forgery by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a statement released last night. Victor Chin (秦日新), a veteran diplomat, has been accused of forging receipts in relation to expenses incurred in the performance of his duties as the director of the ministry's North American Affairs Department. A section chief of the department is also suspected of involvement. The case has been forwarded to the Taipei City branch office of the Bureau of Investigation for possible criminal charges. Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) said that ministry personnel must uphold the highest possible ethical standards in the performance of their duties. Huang also reminded ministry officials that they are not allowed to accept gifts while in office.
■ Diplomacy
Don't say `Taiwan': Vietnam
Vietnam's deputy foreign minister warned local reporters yesterday to avoid offending China by not using the name Taiwan when Vietnam hosts the APEC meeting later this year. Le Cong Phung also urged the press not to uses words like "country" or "nation" to describe any member of the group, instead using the agreed-on euphemism "member economies." "The official name for Taiwan in APEC is `Chinese Taipei' and the official name for Hong Kong is `Hong Kong-China,'" Phung said. "At the previous summit in the Republic of Korea, the host country had to abolish about 80,000 booklets, since in those booklets there was a mistake in referring to the APEC economies as `countries' or 'nations' and that was rejected very strongly by China," Phung said.
■ Politics
DPP forms poll task force
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday established a seven-member task force to handle nominations for the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections. The task force will also serve as a campaign team. DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun will lead the task force, which has been set the goal of defending Kaohsiung and winning Taipei. Yu said that the candidates will be determined by a primary that will include a public poll and a vote among party members. Meanwhile, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) announced yesterday that he will take part in his party's primary in May to vie for its nomination for the Taipei mayoral election.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
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