The legislature yesterday agreed to review the nomination of former Civil Service Minister Wu Rong-ming (
To help the appointment through the legislature, the president met Wang two days ago for the first time since the inauguration to discuss the nomination.
Chen also exchanged opinions with Wang on constitutional amendments, domestic politics and cross-strait relations.
But the pan-blues' dispute with the presidential election was not discussed, as an election fraud lawsuit was still awaiting a judicial decision.
Chen told Wang in person about the nomination and asked for Wang's help to have the legislature approve the appointment. Wang responded in kind, saying that the consent should not be a problem.
The president meanwhile said that the new top officials for the Control Yuan would be nominated after the election dispute ended. The terms for incumbent Control Yuan officials expire early next year.
The Presidential Office officially delivered Wu's appointment order to the Legislative Yuan two days ago. The Legislative Yuan's Procedure Committee agreed yesterday to have the appointment reviewed on June 3 by all committees, and vote on June 4 to consent to or reject the order.
Wang said that the president wanted constitutional amendments reviewed in a comprehensive fashion, including whether Taiwan should adopt a Cabinet or a presidential system.
Chen said that constitutional amendments should not be rushed.
"But I told the president that the Democratic Progressive Party also supported the amendment eagerly before, and it might be inevitable for the constitutional amendment bill for legislative downsizing to encounter a showdown at Friday's sitting," Wang said.
Regarding domestic and international politics, Chen mentioned the pursuit of a peaceful solution for cross-strait relations and the feasibility of a new framework for Taiwan-US-China relations.
Chen said the US could exercise influence in the new framework to help Taiwan initiate talks with China.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was