The Executive Yuan yesterday announced the appointment of Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) as vice premier and Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) to head the ministry.
Shen and Wang are to assume their new roles today, Executive Yuan spokesman Ting Yi-ming (丁怡銘) said after former vice premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) resigned on Wednesday to contest the Aug. 15 Kaohsiung mayoral by-election.
Shen has a well-rounded understanding of the business sector, where he has accumulated many years of experience, Ting said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Shen, who took office as minister of economic affairs in August 2017, has introduced incentives for investors, which saw a spike in investment in the nation against the backdrop of a US-China trade dispute, he said.
Since the ministry last year unveiled three action plans to encourage local firms to repatriate profit from China, local companies have pledged investment totaling more than NT$1 trillion (US$33.72 billion), while about 86,000 job opportunities were created, he said.
Shen’s most impressive feat was leading the government’s efforts to requisition mask production amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has not only ensured abundant supplies for Taiwan, but also allowed the export of masks to nations that have been hit hard by the virus, he said.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) believes that Shen’s expertise would make him his top aide for economic affairs, Ting said.
Wang, a seasoned civil servant and a legal expert, has led legislative efforts to remove obstacles for corporations and benefited the economy, Ting said.
As head of the Central Epidemic Command Center’s supply division, she has also made outstanding contributions to help the nation contain the spread of COVID-19, Ting said.
Wang has led several delegations on overseas tours to help local industries secure investors and talent, and also supervised efforts to attract local firms to move their operations back to Taiwan from China and fulfill investment plans, he said.
In other developments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Deputy Representative to France Ku Wen-jiann (古文劍) has been reassigned as ambassador to Haiti.
Ku’s appointment to Haiti, one of Taiwan’s 15 diplomatic allies, would take effect on the day he takes office in the Caribbean country, the ministry said.
Ku is to replace Liu Bang-zyh (劉邦治).
Liu and Haitian President Jovenel Moise got into a heated argument this year over a bilateral project, and the ambassador was ordered to leave Haiti within 72 hours, media reports have said.
At a press briefing on March 17, the ministry confirmed that an incident involving Liu and Moise had occurred, and said that Liu was back in Taiwan on “official business.”
“The incident was unrelated to diplomatic ties,” and relations between Taiwan and Haiti remain cordial, a ministry official said at the time.
Additional reporting by CNA
US climber Alex Honnold is to attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold’s climb, called Skyscraper Live, is to air on Jan. 23 in the US, Netflix said in a statement. Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900m El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park — a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film Free Solo. Netflix previewed Skyscraper Live in October, after videos
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
RSS