Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Legislator Lin Yi-chun (林憶君) was this morning voted cochair of the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, becoming the only from her party to lead a committee this session thanks to backing from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
The eight committees of the Legislative Yuan met today to vote on new chairs, with each committee led by one legislator from the ruling party and another from the opposition.
The leadership of the Foreign and National Defense Committee was appointed to Lin and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇).
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
In the last session, the KMT ceded the opposition chair of the Internal Administration Committee to independent Legislator May Chin (高金素梅). No TPP member chaired a committee in the previous session, although in the last legislature, then-TPP caucus convener Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) led the Transportation Committee for a session.
Lin said she is thankful to the KMT for allowing her to assume the position, and she hopes to live up to expectations as the TPP and KMT cooperate rationally and pragmatically to oversee legislative affairs.
Asked afterward if the budget would be cut for the Indigenous Defense Submarine program, Lin said that legislators would increase discussion and investigation of the matter.
The former head of the Indigenous Submarine Program, Admiral Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光), is the older brother of TPP Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊). Asked if this would impact budget cuts, Lin said not to jump to conclusions and that the budget would be closely supervised by legislators.
Lin did not clarify if this latest cooperation between the TPP and KMT was decided yesterday or today, but said that she respects the agreement and decision of the coalition.
Asked if any conditions were placed on cooperation between the parties, Lin declined to comment.
TPP caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) was seen greeting legislators in today’s meeting.
Asked if his attendance was to finalize an agreement between the two parties, Lin said that Huang Kuo-chang is her superior and his attendance was not out of the ordinary.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS