Outgoing Government Information Office (GIO) Minister Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) yesterday confirmed that Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), an associate professor of politics at Soochow University, would succeed him as Cabinet spokesman.
Speaking to the Taipei Times via telephone, Chiang said he “was not in a position to say anything before a formal announcement is made and [the appointment] is finalized.”
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) would not confirm the appointment yesterday when he was approached by reporters as he stumped for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Wang Ting-sheng (王廷升) in the Hualien County legislative by-election. Ma said he would announce the appointment once a decision had been made.
A source within the Executive Yuan said Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) had invited Chiang to join the Cabinet about two to three weeks ago.
Born in 1972, Chiang, who obtained a doctoral degree in international studies from the University of South Carolina and a masters in public and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, specializes in international political economics and regional economic integration.
Chiang also serves as deputy executive-director of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research’s (TIER) Chinese Taipei APEC Study Center, director of the TIER’s Department of International Affairs and deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Taipei Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, an organization made up of academics, business leaders and government representatives from 25 Pacific Rim economies.
Chiang has published many articles concerning the challenges for the country in the face of growing economic integration, including his PhD dissertation — Globalization and the Role of the State in Contemporary Political Economy: Taiwan and India in the 1980s and 1990s.
The source said Chiang has a wealth of experience to draw upon when he explains to the public the government’s plan to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China.
A father of two, Chiang is the son-in-law of Liu Shen-liang (劉盛良), a KMT legislator-at-large, and his paternal uncle is Antonio Chiang (江春男), former deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council under the former Democratic Progressive Party government.
Su, who worked closely with KMT Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) during the 2008 presidential election campaign, is to take over as KMT spokesman on Wednesday and prepare for the mayoral elections in the five special municipalities scheduled for December.
News that Su was being replaced came after KMT lawmakers voiced complaints about government spin and poorly explained policy decisions when they met with Ma last month.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake and several aftershocks battered southern Taiwan early this morning, causing houses and roads to collapse and leaving dozens injured and 50 people isolated in their village. A total of 26 people were reported injured and sent to hospitals due to the earthquake as of late this morning, according to the latest Ministry of Health and Welfare figures. In Sising Village (西興) of Chiayi County's Dapu Township (大埔), the location of the quake's epicenter, severe damage was seen and roads entering the village were blocked, isolating about 50 villagers. Another eight people who were originally trapped inside buildings in Tainan
CLASH OF WORDS: While China’s foreign minister insisted the US play a constructive role with China, Rubio stressed Washington’s commitment to its allies in the region The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday affirmed and welcomed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio statements expressing the US’ “serious concern over China’s coercive actions against Taiwan” and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, in a telephone call with his Chinese counterpart. The ministry in a news release yesterday also said that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated many fallacies about Taiwan in the call. “We solemnly emphasize again that our country and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and it has been an objective fact for a long time, as well as
‘ARMED GROUP’: Two defendants used Chinese funds to form the ‘Republic of China Taiwan Military Government,’ posing a threat to national security, prosecutors said A retired lieutenant general has been charged after using funds from China to recruit military personnel for an “armed” group that would assist invading Chinese forces, prosecutors said yesterday. The retired officer, Kao An-kuo (高安國), was among six people indicted for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法), the High Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement. The group visited China multiple times, separately and together, from 2018 to last year, where they met Chinese military intelligence personnel for instructions and funding “to initiate and develop organizations for China,” prosecutors said. Their actions posed a “serious threat” to “national security and social stability,” the statement
‘CHARM OFFENSIVE’: Beijing has been sending senior Chinese officials to Okinawa as part of efforts to influence public opinion against the US, the ‘Telegraph’ reported Beijing is believed to be sowing divisions in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture to better facilitate an invasion of Taiwan, British newspaper the Telegraph reported on Saturday. Less than 750km from Taiwan, Okinawa hosts nearly 30,000 US troops who would likely “play a pivotal role should Beijing order the invasion of Taiwan,” it wrote. To prevent US intervention in an invasion, China is carrying out a “silent invasion” of Okinawa by stoking the flames of discontent among locals toward the US presence in the prefecture, it said. Beijing is also allegedly funding separatists in the region, including Chosuke Yara, the head of the Ryukyu Independence
RSS