It is uncertain whether Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) would perform well as premier, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday, as politicians weighed in after the Presidential Office confirmed that the former vice president would succeed Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) yesterday reported that Chen accepted President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) request that he be nominated to become the new premier after they spoke during the Lunar New Year holiday.
The report came after Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Thursday last week announced that he and his Cabinet had submitted their resignation to Tsai.
Photo: CNA
Noting that Chen’s nomination must be approved by the legislature, Ko said that Chen has a good relationship with people and is polite.
Regarding whether Chen would do a better job than Su as premier, Ko said that whether Chen can do the job well is yet to be seen, and it is too early to evaluate him.
Former Taoyuan mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said that Chen has the quality of a clergyman and the rationality of a scientist, and a Cabinet led by him could usher Taiwan into a new era.
He also said that he hopes Chen could appoint his Cabinet heads according to their expertise and based on the principle of meritocracy.
Chen and his Cabinet would first need to deal with the government’s proposed NT$6,000 cash rebate from last year’s surplus tax revenue, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said.
There are also many challenges in the new lunar year, including global economic issues, Taiwan’s international relationships and heightened threats from China, he said.
Chen’s qualities of being reliable and cordial would likely help him lead a Cabinet that is friendly, but has strength and is willing to fight for the nation and promote unity, Wang said.
A small number of Taiwanese this year lost their citizenship rights after traveling in China and obtaining a one-time Chinese passport to cross the border into Russia, a source said today. The people signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of neighboring Russia with companies claiming they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, the source said on condition of anonymity. The travelers were actually issued one-time-use Chinese passports, they said. Taiwanese are prohibited from holding a Chinese passport or household registration. If found to have a Chinese ID, they may lose their resident status under Article 9-1
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
PROBLEMATIC APP: Citing more than 1,000 fraud cases, the government is taking the app down for a year, but opposition voices are calling it censorship Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday decried a government plan to suspend access to Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu (小紅書) for one year as censorship, while the Presidential Office backed the plan. The Ministry of the Interior on Thursday cited security risks and accusations that the Instagram-like app, known as Rednote in English, had figured in more than 1,700 fraud cases since last year. The company, which has about 3 million users in Taiwan, has not yet responded to requests for comment. “Many people online are already asking ‘How to climb over the firewall to access Xiaohongshu,’” Cheng posted on
RSS