HANG-UP: The KMT would see the big picture if it were not so fixated on scrutinizing officials’ political affiliations, but rather focus on their abilities, a DPP lawmaker said

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 24, 2018
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

The scope of yesterday’s Cabinet reshuffle was too narrow, with the appointments likely reflecting President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) hope to ameliorate cross-strait ties, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers said.

The nation’s foreign and defense ministries and top agency for cross-strait policy all getting new leaders shows that Tsai is hoping to improve cross-strait relations, which have cooled considerably since she took office in May 2016, KMT caucus deputy secretary-general William Tseng (曾銘宗) said.

As Presidential Office Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) is perceived as having a pro-Taiwanese independence stance, his appointment as minister of foreign affairs is a mistake considering the diplomatic plight the nation faces, KMT caucus whip Lin Te-fu (林德福) said, adding that the administration should have appointed someone better suited to the position, as Wu would only further decrease the nation’s international space.

Lin also raised doubts that new Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) minister Chen Ming-tung (陳明通) — who in 2012 said the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was not attempting desinicization, but ridding the nation of the People’s Republic of China’s influence — could revive cross-strait ties, adding that the DPP’s reluctance to acknowledge the so-called “1992 consensus” has had a negative effect on the economy and encroached on the nation’s space in the international community.    [FULL  STORY]