The Presidential Office yesterday said it has approved the resignations of National Security Council Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) and Presidential Office Secretary-General Timothy Yang (楊進添), despite President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) repeatedly calling for the two officials to remain in their posts.
King is to be succeeded by former minister of national defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) and Yang by former deputy legislative speaker Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權). The new appointments are set to take effect on Thursday next week.
The Presidential Office said that Yang tendered his resignation several days ago on the grounds that his mission had been completed, and, after being asked to remain by the president, resubmitted his resignation citing the need to take care of his elderly mother.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Yang’s second attempt to resign was approved, and, in accordance with precedent, he is to be hired as a senior adviser to the president, the Presidential Office said.
King resigned for “personal health and family reasons” and was also asked not to leave by the president several times, according to the Presidential Office.
King reportedly underwent a coronary artery stenting procedure in October last year.
Photo: Luo Pei-teh, Taipei Times
A source told CNA that King had another heart operation last week, and his family has insisted that he leave his post due to the workload and pressure.
According to a CNA report, King is not expected to work in the near future.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) said he was surprised about the resignations, adding that Kao taking over the national security council was incomprehensible, as he previously resigned from his post as minister of national defense due to health concerns.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
“The changes to power brought about by the shuffle between King and Kao are not easily understood. We hope that the Presidential Office would disclose more information regarding the arrangement so that the nation can have a clearer idea of what is going on,” Huang said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said King’s resignation also took him by surprise: “I seriously don’t know why [he resigned]; maybe he has other plans for his life.”
Meanwhile, Charles Chen (陳以信), previously deputy commissioner of the KMT's Culture and Communication Committee, is to replace Yin Wei (殷偉) as one of the Presidential Office's spokespersons, with the other being Ma Wei-kuo (馬瑋國). Yin will serve as the president's secretary, in charge of the president's speechwriting team.
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS