The ministry of digital development is expected to open as early as the first quarter of this year, after the legislature on Dec. 28 approved the Cabinet’s plan to establish the new body.
This is good news. Developing a digital economy is an effective way for advanced countries to enhance their power, and it has become a major part of the nation’s strategy to promote industry.
The ministry, as a dedicated and specialist organization, is expected to play a pivotal role in coordinating the development of the digital economy and assisting all sectors in this transformation. The task is difficult, but crucial.
The question of where this new authority should be located must be considered carefully.
For an example of the thorny issue of location, look no further than the member list of the 16th Executive Yuan Human Rights Protection Task Force.
Appointed in August last year, 13 members of the group are from the private sector. Although these experts are leaders in their fields, in terms of geographical distribution, they are all based in Taipei or New Taipei City, with the southernmost affiliated institution, National Taipei University, in New Taipei City’s Sanxia District (三峽).
No human rights experts or academics based further south of the Taipei area were invited to join the task force. This Taipei-centric tunnel vision is disturbing.
During the COVID-19 pandemic era, companies across Taiwan and around the world have been waking up to the benefits of having employees working from home, and they are able to do this through digital technology.
This trend started many years ago, but the pandemic was a catalyst, and the phenomenon of remote working has become an irreversible trend.
It is therefore possible to recruit specialists living anywhere in the nation, not just in the north. As the primary promoter of digital national power development, those responsible for selecting the site of the ministry of digital development should be more forward thinking.
If those in power continue to only prioritize the nation’s capital, as seen with the human rights task force, and continue to establish new authorities or institutions in Taipei for the “convenience” of the government and top party officials based there, what can Taiwanese expect from the ministry of digital development?
Lo Cheng-chung is a professor and director of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology’s Institute of Financial and Economic Law.
Translated by Lin Lee-kai
US president-elect Donald Trump continues to make nominations for his Cabinet and US agencies, with most of his picks being staunchly against Beijing. For US ambassador to China, Trump has tapped former US senator David Perdue. This appointment makes it crystal clear that Trump has no intention of letting China continue to steal from the US while infiltrating it in a surreptitious quasi-war, harming world peace and stability. Originally earning a name for himself in the business world, Perdue made his start with Chinese supply chains as a manager for several US firms. He later served as the CEO of Reebok and
Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesman Wu Qian (吳謙) announced at a news conference that General Miao Hua (苗華) — director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission — has been suspended from his duties pending an investigation of serious disciplinary breaches. Miao’s role within the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) affects not only its loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but also ideological control. This reflects the PLA’s complex internal power struggles, as well as its long-existing structural problems. Since its establishment, the PLA has emphasized that “the party commands the gun,” and that the military is
US$18.278 billion is a simple dollar figure; one that’s illustrative of the first Trump administration’s defense commitment to Taiwan. But what does Donald Trump care for money? During President Trump’s first term, the US defense department approved gross sales of “defense articles and services” to Taiwan of over US$18 billion. In September, the US-Taiwan Business Council compared Trump’s figure to the other four presidential administrations since 1993: President Clinton approved a total of US$8.702 billion from 1993 through 2000. President George W. Bush approved US$15.614 billion in eight years. This total would have been significantly greater had Taiwan’s Kuomintang-controlled Legislative Yuan been cooperative. During
US president-elect Donald Trump in an interview with NBC News on Monday said he would “never say” if the US is committed to defending Taiwan against China. Trump said he would “prefer” that China does not attempt to invade Taiwan, and that he has a “very good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Before committing US troops to defending Taiwan he would “have to negotiate things,” he said. This is a departure from the stance of incumbent US President Joe Biden, who on several occasions expressed resolutely that he would commit US troops in the event of a conflict in
RSS