More than a month after Tang Fei (
"The title of the book Tang Fei -- In a Critical Era, (
"First of all, Tang headed the Cabinet in the government formed after the first transfer of power in Taiwan's history. Moreover, the Cabinet under his leadership had to face a legislature where the opposition was in an overwhelming majority. I admired his courage in taking up the post at that pivotal moment and I considered the days when I worked for him as his deputy to be a precious learning experience," said Chang.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Chang said that although Tang was the shortest-serving premier in Taiwan's political history, being in office for only 137 days, his contribution deserved the appreciation of the public, because as premier he always put the country's interests ahead of his own.
Former New Party lawmaker Jaw Shao-kang (
"From this perspective, there is no doubt that Tang was a superb politician," Jaw said.
The 68-year-old Tang, rising gradually from being an air force pilot, stunned the public both when he decided to head up a DPP Cabinet as a 48-year KMT member, as well as when he resigned on Oct. 3 over his conflicting stand with the president concerning the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (
"I have two dreams in my life. The first one is to study at a university, and the second one is to be able to fly again in my 70s," said the veteran pilot.
Entering an army school at the age of 12 and being a military man most of his life, Tang said he had never had a chance to be a university student. He said he was pleased that this wish was going to come true soon.
"But as for my second dream, it seems it is not likely to be fulfilled, because my wife would never let me," Tang said, drawing laughter from the audience.
Accompanied by his wife, Tang, who recovered from chest surgery in April, is leaving for the US today for a long vacation. Starting from next March, Tang will spend six months at Harvard University as a visiting scholar.
PLA MANEUVERS: Although Beijing has yet to formally announce military drills, its coast guard vessels have been spotted near and around Taiwan since Friday The Taiwanese military is on high alert and is closely monitoring the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) air and naval deployments after Beijing yesterday reserved seven airspace areas east of its Zhejiang and Fujian provinces through Wednesday. Beijing’s action was perceived as a precursor to a potential third “Joint Sword” military exercise, which national security experts said the PLA could launch following President William Lai’s (賴清德) state visits to the nation’s three Pacific allies and stopovers in Hawaii and Guam last week. Unlike the Joint Sword military exercises in May and October, when Beijing provided detailed information about the affected areas, it
CHINA: The activities come amid speculation that Beijing might launch military exercises in response to Lai’s recent visit to Pacific allies The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said China had nearly doubled the number of its warships operating around the nation in the previous 24 hours, ahead of what security sources expect would be a new round of war games. China’s military activities come amid speculation Beijing might organize military drills around the nation in response to President William Lai’s (賴清德) recent visit to Pacific allies, including stops in Hawaii and Guam, a US territory. Lai returned from the week-long trip on Friday night. Beijing has held two rounds of war games around Taiwan this year, and sends ships and military planes
Five flights have been arranged to help nearly 2,000 Taiwanese tourists return home from Okinawa after being stranded due to cruise ship maintenance issues, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced yesterday. China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) have arranged five flights with a total of 748 additional seats to transport 1,857 passengers from the MSC Bellissima back to Taiwan, the ministry said. The flights have been scheduled for yesterday and today by the Civil Aviation Administration, with the cruise operator covering all associated costs. The MSC Bellissima, carrying 4,341 passengers, departed from Keelung on Wednesday last week for Okinawa,
US president-elect Donald Trump said he would “never say” if Washington is committed to defending Taiwan from China, but “I would prefer that they do not do it [ an attack],” adding that he has a “good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). “I never say because I have to negotiate things, right?” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker after saying he would not reveal his incoming administration’s stance on Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. Asked the question again, Trump, in a reference to China, said: “I would prefer that they
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