President-elect Chen Shui-bian's (
The group was, however, tight-lipped about exactly what was discussed at the meeting and who would be named to the new executive.
Committee leader Lee Yuan-tseh (
Lee stressed to reporters after the meeting that the NPAC was an ad hoc committee and that there had been general talk about national issues, current problems and developments. The economy and cultural issues rated highly, he said.
"We have some consensus on some issues," Lee said, adding there would be more intensive meetings in two or three days to firm up policy and personnel decisions.
The committee announced just two decisions: Firstly, that the NPAC was a temporary structure; secondly, what criteria would be adopted for selecting the premier and other Cabinet members.
This conclusion was announced on behalf of the committee by Nita Ing (
"The NPAC's function is to assist a smooth transition of power and to suggest a suitable Cabinet. It is defined as a non-standing and non-framed organization," Ing said.
She also outlined some basic requirements for the new government executives.
"The candidates [for Cabinet posts] must practice the idea of `government for all people, as well as clean and upright governance (
"We will look at all candidates regardless of their political affiliation. The new government team has to maintain a stable regime," Ing said.
"We won't exclude any candidate who meets these criteria; above all, of course, Lee [Yuan-tseh] is included."
Lee said President-elect Chen, who attended part of the meeting, had talked with its members about national development.
"I am happy we had such a deep discussion," Lee said.
After Chen left the meeting no further headway was made on the make-up of the Cabinet, and Lee would not give away any more clues on whether he would take the post of premier. Both Chen and his advisors, however, are believed to be still trying to persuade him to take on the role.
Stan Shih (
"Although most committee members want Lee, it hasn't [yet] worked out that way. It depends on the person himself [Lee] and whether or not he nods his head in assent," said Academia Sinica sociologist Michael Hsiao (
After the closed-door meeting yesterday, no further questions were taken from the press.
There were 14 members and Chen who attended this first NPAC meeting yesterday.
Other members included: Lee, Ing, Shih, Hisao, former National Security Advisor Chen Pi-chao (
Tseng Chih-lang (
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
COORDINATION, ASSURANCE: Separately, representatives reintroduced a bill that asks the state department to review guidelines on how the US engages with Taiwan US senators on Tuesday introduced the Taiwan travel and tourism coordination act, which they said would bolster bilateral travel and cooperation. The bill, proposed by US senators Marsha Blackburn and Brian Schatz, seeks to establish “robust security screenings for those traveling to the US from Asia, open new markets for American industry, and strengthen the economic partnership between the US and Taiwan,” they said in a statement. “Travel and tourism play a crucial role in a nation’s economic security,” but Taiwan faces “pressure and coercion from the Chinese Communist Party [CCP]” in this sector, the statement said. As Taiwan is a “vital trading
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