The Executive Yuan yesterday approved draft bills to pave the way for the establishment of a ministry of digital development, which would be tasked with boosting cybersecurity and accelerating the nation’s digital transformation.
The bills include amendments to the Organizational Act of the Executive Yuan (行政院組織法) and proposed laws on the establishment of the ministry and its affiliates, which are to be forwarded for legislative review.
The proposed ministry would focus on telecommunications, information technology, cybersecurity, the Internet and media communications, Executive Yuan spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) quoted Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) as saying at a regular Cabinet meeting yesterday morning.
Photo: CNA
Minister Without Portfolio Kuo Yau-hwang (郭耀煌), who oversees technological policy, has been tapped as the convener of the ministry’s preparatory office, Lo said.
The creation of a digital development ministry was part of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) campaign promise and a policy that is favored by the nation’s entrepreneurs.
Kuo said the Executive Yuan expects the office to complete the preparatory work in six to 12 months, allowing the ministry to start operating in the first quarter of next year at the earliest.
The ministry would focus on the development of the software and digital service industries, upgrading small and medium-sized enterprises, and traditional industries, and creating a globally competitive and innovative base in digital technologies, he said.
A cybersecurity bureau and national cybersecurity research institute are to be established under the ministry’s aegis, he said.
The ministry would also be tasked with overseeing interdepartmental coordination on cybersecurity and efforts to foster a domestic cybersecurity technology sector, he said.
The Executive Yuan also approved amendments to redesignate the Ministry of Science and Technology into the National Science and Technology Council.
China has reserved offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported yesterday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. These alerts, known as Notice to Air Missions (Notams), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert is
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
China has reserved offshore airspace over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts that are usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sunday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. The alerts, known as notice to air missions (NOTAMs), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert
RSS