Former lawmaker and musician Freddy Lim (林昶佐) is to serve as Taiwan’s next representative to Finland, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) confirmed yesterday.
The appointment is being processed and would be officially announced by the Presidential Office later, Lin said.
Lim, the lead singer of Taiwanese metal band Chthonic, previously served two terms as a legislator and on the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, making him familiar with Taiwan’s diplomatic affairs, he said.
Photo: Taipei Times
President William Lai (賴清德) places a strong emphasis on values-based diplomacy, including human rights and cultural diplomacy, he said.
The president believes that with Lim’s experience, he would be able to engage in international exchanges and effectively promote comprehensive diplomacy between Taiwan and northern Europe, as well as globally, he said.
Comprehensive diplomacy requires a diverse range of talent, including people from economic and cultural fields, as well as career diplomats, Lin said.
The number of ambassadors and representatives the president appoints each year is limited to protect promotion opportunities for career diplomats, he added.
Separately, the Presidential Office yesterday said former deputy representative to India Chen Mu-min (陳牧民) would replace Baushuan Ger (葛葆萱) as Taiwan’s representative to India.
It did not say why Ger was being replaced or when Chen would take up his new post as head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India, a post Ger has held since 2020.
Meanwhile, Chiang Ya-chi (江雅綺) has been appointed as the new deputy head of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, the Presidential Office said.
Chiang, who is a professor in the College of Ocean Law and Policy at National Taiwan Ocean University, would replace Liu Hui-chien (柳惠千), a former air force fighter jet pilot, it said.
Liu has resigned as deputy head of the Taiwan office in London, where he had been serving since 2023, it said, without specifying when his replacement would take up the post.
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,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
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The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
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