Former legislative speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) is to become the Presidential Office secretary-general when President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) begins her second term tomorrow, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said yesterday.
The announcement came after Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊) on Sunday said on Facebook that she would be leaving her post tomorrow.
Reportedly, Tsai is to nominate Chen as president of the Control Yuan.
Photo: CNA
Huang yesterday said that Su has plenty of political experience, having previously served as a legislator, Pingtung County commissioner and Council of Agriculture minister, among many other positions, adding that he would be a great asset due to his expertise in facilitating communication between the public and the government.
Financial Supervisory Commission Chairman Wellington Koo (顧立雄) is to replace David Lee (李大維) as National Security Council secretary-general, while Lee is to become chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, Huang said.
Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka is to become the Presidential Office spokeswoman, while National Security Bureau Director-General Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) would continue in his role, he added.
Cabinet sources said that Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), Executive Yuan Secretary-General Li Meng-yen (李孟諺) and Executive Yuan Deputy Secretary-General Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) would stay on in the same positions.
Seven ministers without portfolio — Lin Wan-i (林萬億), Wu Tse-cheng (吳澤成), Chang Ching-sen (張景森), John Deng (鄧振中), Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫), Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) and Audrey Tang (唐鳳) — would also be staying, they said.
Executive Yuan Senior Secretary Ting Yi-ming (丁怡銘) would become Cabinet spokesperson, they added.
In other developments, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), said that while he had received an invitation to Tsai’s inauguration tomorrow, he would not be attending.
Over the past four years, Tsai has not done “what a Republic of China president should do,” he said.
The nation is regressing in areas including freedom, democracy, human rights, rule of law and the economy, he said, adding that he is concerned because Taiwan has no opportunity to join regional economic agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) also said that he would not be attending the inauguration.
Additional reporting by Chen Hsin-yu
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,