Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) yesterday apologized for causing trouble for Taiwan Sugar Corp (Taisugar) chairman Wu Rong-ming (吳容明), who has accused Chiang of exerting undue influence in order to install his nephew as the company’s new president.
Chiang yesterday said that he and Wu were good friends and he regretted how things had developed.
“I am sorry to have caused so much trouble for him because of my unintentional remarks,” Chiang said.
Chiang did not, however, apologize for allegedly using his personal influence to sway decisions on appointments at Taisugar.
Chiang made the remarks before addressing a financial forum in Taipei yesterday afternoon.
Wu unexpectedly tendered his resignation to the Ministry of Economic Affairs on Nov. 14, just two months after taking up the post on Sept. 1. Minister Yiin Chii-ming (尹啟銘), who is in Lima, Peru, has not yet approved Wu’s resignation.
Wu’s abrupt move was reportedly triggered by pressure from Chiang to install his nephew, Chen Ching-bin (陳清彬), as the company’s president. Chen is currently a company vice president and acted as interim president before Wu took over.
Wu was reportedly considering candidates other than Chen for the presidency.
Chiang said that he had only met with Wu on two occasions since Wu became chairman in September. The first time they met was when Wu took the helm of Taisugar, Chiang said, adding that Wu apologized to him for “crowding out” his nephew.
While general managers at state-run businesses were promoted from within when the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was previously in power, Chiang said that was not the case during the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) eight years in office.
Chiang said he mentioned this when Cabinet Secretary-General Hsueh Hsiang-chuan (薛香川) asked him about his opinions on the promotion of staff at state-run enterprises. Chiang said he told Hsueh that if at all possible, it would be a good idea to promote general managers of state-run enterprises from within because it would help boost the morale of employees.
Chiang said it might be because he emphasized the importance of this point that the subsequent misunderstanding occurred.
Chiang also said he intended to tender his resignation again from his position as chairman of the Sinocon Industrial Standards Foundation after his first attempt to resign was rejected by its board of directors.
The foundation’s mission is to establish standards in conjunction with Chinese business leaders.
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
The government would cancel kendo practitioner Su Yu-cheng’s (蘇郁程) nationality if he is confirmed to have represented China in the World Kendo Championships in Milan, Italy, last week, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. “We have consulted the Sports Administration and were told that athletes participating in the championships must have the nationality of the country that they represent. They must also present their passports as proof,” council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a weekly news conference. “If Su indeed represented China in the championships, we suspect that he has obtained Chinese nationality.” The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from