Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday criticized the decision to appoint J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) as minister of economic affairs-designate, saying that he has a “morally dubious character,” has close ties to China and is a known donor to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
KMT Legislator Huang Chien-hao (黃健豪) said Kuo in 2005 was indicted and found guilty of contravening the Securities and Exchange Act (證券交易法) for agreeing to sell, but failing to deliver a chip manufacturing plant to a Singapore-based company.
Huang said Kuo failed to deliver despite receiving a down payment of US$5 million and that he breached accounting regulations.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
If Kuo’s appointment goes through, he would serve alongside minister of national defense designate Wellington Koo (顧立雄), the lawyer who defended him, which could indicate some impropriety, Huang said.
KMT Legislator Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) cited data showing that TOPCO Group, which Kuo chairs, has branches in 12 Chinese cities, while five of its subsidiaries are registered in China.
Wang said that DPP supporters would have had a field day with that information had it been Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘).
Gou was often targeted during both of his bids for president for having a conflict of interest if elected, as his company was mostly based in China.
President-elect William Lai (賴清德) seems to be perfectly content with abandoning the “fight against China” card now the election is over, Wang said.
Kuo is nefarious in the sports industry after he reneged on his 2014 promise to become involved in the nation’s professional baseball league, before announcing in 2022 that he would not become involved.
Sports fans have said that Kuo is “very suited” to being minister of economic affairs as he would often have to paint a rosy picture, Wang said.
Separately, TOPCO Group yesterday said that the appointment of officials does not have to observe the Civil Servants Employment Act (公務人員任用法).
The company said that appointing Kuo did not contravene Article 28 of the act or the Council of Grand Justices Constitutional Interpretation No. 56.
Regarding allegations that the group had helped China build a semiconductor manufacturing plant, the company said that one of its subsidiaries in Suzhou, China, had agreed to process wastewater for Pengxinwei, but the contract did not involve semiconductor materials.
Responding to Kuo allegedly backtracking on his words about becoming involved with the baseball league, the company said that over the past few years it has come to the understanding that managing a Taiwanese baseball team would require the company to assess whether it was suitable based on the scale of the company’s business in the domestic market.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese