James C. Liao (廖俊智) yesterday was tapped by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to head Academia Sinica, as the Presidential Office promised to maintain the professionalism and neutrality of the nation’s premier academic institution.
Presidential Office spokesperson Alex Huang (黃重諺) said Tsai, along with Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) and Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Liu Chien-hsin (劉建炘), had held a video conference with Liao, who was still in Los Angeles, before making the decision.
Huang said that Tsai made clear to Liao that she had chosen him out of respect for the Academia Sinica’s vote and to put to rest claims questioning Liao’s legitimacy to the position due to controversy over the organization’s voting for candidates to the position.
Photo courtesy of the Academia Sinica
The voting process was controversial due to moving to amend the regulations for nomination on the day of voting and premature leaking of the list of candidates.
When asked by Tsai if he was still willing to take the position, Liao responded that he would gladly take responsibility for leading the institution and that he hoped to contribute to Taiwan during his term as Academia Sinica president.
Huang said that Tsai emphasized that because Academia Sinica is the nation’s most prestigious academic institution, the Presidential Office is offering to do everything it can to help maintain the professionalism and neutrality of the organization.
Under the leadership of a new president, it is hoped that the Academia Sinica will return to normal and continue to produce high-quality academic findings, Huang said.
The Presidential Office is to officially notify Academia Sinica of Tsai’s decision shortly, and is to announce the official appointment in the coming days, Huang said.
The Presidential Office said that Liao: received the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in 2010; became a member of the National Academy of Engineering in the US and received the ENI Award for Renewable Energies in 2013; received the NAS Industrial Application of Science award from the US National Academy of Sciences in 2014; became a member of the US National Academy of Sciences last year; and became a member of the US National Academy of Inventors this year.
Liao received a doctorate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1987 and is currently the chair of bioengineering and chemical and biomolecular engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of California, Los Angeles.
A decision to describe a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Singapore’s Taiwan policy as “erroneous” was made because the city-state has its own “one China policy” and has not followed Beijing’s “one China principle,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday. It has been a longstanding practice for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to speak on other countries’ behalf concerning Taiwan, Tien said. The latest example was a statement issued by the PRC after a meeting between Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
‘SIGN OF DANGER’: Beijing has never directly named Taiwanese leaders before, so China is saying that its actions are aimed at the DPP, a foundation official said National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) yesterday accused Beijing of spreading propaganda, saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had singled out President William Lai (賴清德) in his meeting with US President Joe Biden when talking about those whose “true nature” seek Taiwanese independence. The Biden-Xi meeting took place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru on Saturday. “If the US cares about maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, it is crucial that it sees clearly the true nature of Lai and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in seeking Taiwanese independence, handles the Taiwan question with extra
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
RSS