Premier-designate Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Tuesday announced the third wave of Cabinet appointments, including the new heads of the economic and digital ministries.
The next Cabinet is to take office on May 20 after president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration.
Cho on Tuesday announced six new appointments to head the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Digital Affairs, National Development Council (NDC), National Science and Technology Council, Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) and Public Construction Commission.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) is to be the new minister of economic affairs. Currently chairman of semiconductor product distributor Topco Group (崇越集團), Kuo is considered one of Taiwan’s top 100 CEOs with a net worth of more than NT$10 billion (US$307.2 million). He also has experience in the biotechnology, photovoltaic, green energy and health fields, with expertise in corporate management and industrial supply chains.
Huang Yen-nun (黃彥男), a distinguished research fellow with Academia Sinica's Research Center for Information Technology Innovation, is to replace Audrey Tang (唐鳳) as minister of digital affairs.
He conducts cross-disciplinary research in ICT, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things, with the appointment expected to facilitate the integration of AI into more fields.
To head the National Science and Technology Council is Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology president Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文).
Paul Liu (劉鏡清), former chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers Business Consulting Services Taiwan Ltd known as one of the few business leaders to have practical as well as consulting experience, is to head the NDC.
Peng Jin-lung (彭金隆), associate dean of National Chengchi University's College of Commerce, has been appointed the new chairperson of the FSC, while former CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) chairman Chen Chin-te (陳金德) is to head the Public Construction Commission.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November