The Legislative Yuan on Tuesday approved the Cabinet’s plan to establish a ministry of digital development, as mapped out by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in her second inaugural address in May last year.
A new law passed by lawmakers to establish the new ministry states that it would be in charge of planning the nation’s digital development policies in response to the political and economic challenges created by a rapidly evolving digital world.
The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) would become a ministry-level council, while related operations overseen by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the National Communications Commission would be transferred to the new ministry, according to amendments to several organizational acts approved by lawmakers.
The ministry of digital development would be responsible for planning the government resources required in the fields of telecommunication and digital technology, and the infrastructure needed to promote innovation, as well as cultivating talent.
It would also be tasked with overseeing government information security, digital services and data management, as well as aiding the development of industries related to the digital economy.
Some of those tasks currently fall under the purview of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Cabinet’s Department of Cyber Security.
The plan to establish a ministry of digital development aims to speed up Taiwan’s digital transformation and improve the government’s ability to deal with cybersecurity issues, Cabinet spokesperson Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said.
Minister without Portfolio Kuo Yau-hwang (郭耀煌), who heads the Cabinet’s task force on the organizational changes, would draw up a plan before the ministry is formally established, Lo added.
The MOST said that its role would in future be similar to that of the National Development Council, coordinating between ministries, industry and academia to guide software and hardware innovation in Taiwan.
It would also focus on research projects involving advanced technologies and how they can be applied commercially, it said.
The organizational changes are expected to take place in March at the earliest, but the actual implementation schedule would be determined by the Cabinet, it added.
The MOST was established in March 2014 to replace the National Science Council, which was formed in 1959.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not