Tsai taps economic reformer as Taiwan’s premier

2016/03/18

Former ROC Minister of Finance Lin Chuan was tapped March 15 as premier by President-elect Tsai Ing-wen, reflecting the reform mindset of the incoming Democratic Progressive Party administration.

A University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign-trained economist, Lin was described by the DPP chairwoman as an effective communicator capable of quickly and effectively implementing policy. “I expect Lin and the new Cabinet to initiate root-and-branch policy reforms spanning the economy, politics and society,” Tsai said.

“We will work hand in hand to rebuild the people’s trust in government.”

Born 1951 in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City, Lin was finance minister from 2002 to 2006 in the administration of former President Chen Shui-bian. He was renowned for rolling out a raft of financial reforms, as well as the alternative minimum tax system.

In response, Lin pledged to enhance communication between the government and all sectors of society, and revealed plans to headhunt local government talents.

“There is no honeymoon period when it comes to good governance,” he said. “The new Cabinet will hit the ground running and feature the right people with the right experience to engineer Taiwan’s successful transformation.”

At an industry forum last year, Lin hinted at possible policymaking priorities. He identified six targeted areas for development: biopharmaceuticals, defense technology and precision machinery, information and communications technology, innovative agriculture,new energy and new petrochemicals.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=243026&ctNode=2194&mp=9)