The new Cabinet, led by Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), and new Presidential Office appointments were sworn into office yesterday morning.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) presided over the swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Office, the office said in a statement.
It marked the conclusion of a reshuffle of the Cabinet and the Presidential Office following the resignation of former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and his Cabinet on Monday.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Also attending the ceremony were Vice President William Lai (賴清德) and National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄), as well as the heads of the Judicial Yuan, Control Yuan and Examination Yuan, the statement said.
During a separate ceremony yesterday at the Executive Yuan marking the handover of power from the outgoing Cabinet to the newly appointed one, Chen said he and his Cabinet would spare no effort in their tenure until the end of Tsai’s second term in May next year.
Chen, who served as vice president during Tsai’s first term from 2016 to 2020, is expected to lead his Cabinet to resign en masse even if the Democratic Progressive Party wins the presidential election next year and stays in power.
Photo: CNA
One of his Cabinet’s priorities is to further loosen COVID-19 disease prevention protocols with the aim of “bringing people’s lives back to normal,” Chen said.
At the same time, the Cabinet will be dedicated to helping companies and individuals that have been economically affected by the pandemic over the past three years, he said.
In particular, the government is planning to help boost small and medium-sized enterprises, and to improve the infrastructure of agricultural and fishing areas, he said.
The Cabinet will seek to “lead Taiwan through various challenges” against the backdrop of a volatile global economy and inflation while turning Taiwan into a more resilient and competitive nation for the decades to come, he said.
The Cabinet will roll out social welfare measures to “ease the financial burden of the general public” and focus on fighting major crimes, such as illegal drugs, organized crime and fraud, he said.
Meanwhile, Su, 75, said that although he was leaving public office, he would be ready to serve “whenever the country needs [me].”
Su, the longest-serving premier since direct presidential elections began in Taiwan in 1996, gave his blessings to Chen and his Cabinet, many of whom were holdovers from the previous Cabinet.
Lai said he had the utmost confidence that Chen would fulfill all the tasks entrusted by Tsai in the next 16 months.
The coming year is key as Taiwan seeks to fully recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lai said, adding that he expected Chen’s Cabinet to do their best to promote post-pandemic economic recovery and other government policies.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
RSS