Former minister of economic affairs John Deng (鄧振中), who on Tuesday was named a minister without portfolio, is to be responsible for overseeing the nation’s economic and trade negotiations with foreign governments, Executive Yuan spokesman Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said.
Premier Lin Chuan (林全) recommended Deng to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) because he hopes to make use of Deng’s expertise in economic affairs and trade negotiations, Tung said.
Deng has held several important positions in the administrations of former presidents Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), including deputy chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, deputy representative to the WTO, deputy representative to the US, chief representative of the Office of Trade Negotiations, deputy minister of economic affairs and deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council.
He took over the economics portfolio in December 2014 and held it until Ma left office on May 20.
It is widely believed that one of the most important tasks for Deng in his new post would be to assist the government promote the nation’s bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
In an interview with the Central News Agency, Deng said that obtaining TPP membership is very important to Taiwan.
The government not only needs to strengthen its communication with the public to find a way of gaining entry that is acceptable to all sides, but also must try to ease the concerns of TPP members and win their support, he said.
Unless these issues are resolved, it will be impossible for Taiwan to join the bloc, he said.
In related news, the Presidential Office on Tuesday said that a national security adviser to Tsai has been appointed deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office.
Yao Jen-to (姚人多) replaces Tseng Hou-jen (曾厚仁), who is to become deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council.
The decision to transfer Tseng, a former diplomat, to the security council was made as part of Tsai’s efforts to build up the council’s strength in foreign affairs, the Presidential Office said.
Yao has been a key aide to Tsai, assisting her in promoting transitional justice, including apologizing to the nation’s Aborigines, and her promotion represents Tsai’s determination to push related reforms, the office said.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
MESSAGE: The ministry said China and the Philippines are escalating regional tensions, and Taiwan should be included in dialogue mechanisms on an equal footing Taiwan has rejected renewed sovereignty claims over the South China Sea by the Philippines and China by reaffirming its sovereignty and rights under international law over the disputed area. “The Republic of China [ROC] enjoys all rights to island groups and their surrounding waters in the South China Sea in accordance with international law and maritime laws,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement yesterday. Other countries’ attempts to claim sovereignty over the South China Sea do not change the fact that the ROC holds sovereignty over the region, the ministry said. The MOFA statement came after
RSS