Former minister of transportation and communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has reportedly been selected for the new position of ambassador-at-large for digital New Southbound Policy initiatives.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) favors Lin for the role, which is to serve as a liaison between the government and private sector, a source said.
Administrative affairs would be handled by National Security Council advisory member Fu Don-cheng (傅棟成).
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Lin’s office said that the former minister closely monistors the nation’s industrial development, although he at the moment is focusing on the Jan. 9 Taichung legislative by-election and did not comment further on the position.
Lin, who served as Taichung mayor from 2014 to 2018, stepped down as transportation minister in April following a deadly Taroko Express train crash earlier that month.
The government is looking to take advantage of Taiwan’s digital strengths to add momentum to its New Southbound Policy and open avenues for development, a source said.
Established shortly after Tsai took office in 2016, the policy aims to enhance ties with 18 countries in the Indo-Pacific region: Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
At an industrial innovation summit last month in Taichung, Tsai held talks with academic and industrial partners.
She also reportedly spoke with Lin, who was attending in his capacity as honorary chairman of the hosting foundation.
Afterward, at an anniversary event for the Taiwan Thinktank, Lin reportedly advised Tsai on the development potential of integrating digital initiatives in the New Southbound Policy.
Centering Taiwan’s Indo-Pacific strategy around its digital strengths would not only expand the nation’s influence from the first island chain into the wider region, but also serve its larger growth and security interests, people familiar with the decision said.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
RSS