Latest Cabinet appointments: five old faces, one new face (update)

Taipei, April 23 (CNA) Premier-designate Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Tuesday announced more new members of his Cabinet that will take office on May 20, with five of those appointed keeping their posts and one new face being introduced.

Finance Minister Chuang Tsui-yun (莊翠雲), Overseas Community Affairs Council head Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青), Ocean Affairs Council head Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), and Directorate-General of Personnel Administration head Su Chun-jung (蘇俊榮) will keep their current posts, Cho said at a press conference in Taipei.

Acting Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季), meanwhile, will formally head the agency in the new Cabinet, Cho said.

The only new face announced Tuesday was Chen Shu-tzu (陳淑姿), the current head of Tainan City Government's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission.

She has been named to lead the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

Cho said most of the people announced Tuesday are current agency chiefs who have worked in the public sector for decades and are all seasoned officials.

"I would like to take advantage of their rich experience and sense of teamwork to facilitate the new government's transition and drive the implementation of future policies," Cho said.

As for Chen Shu-tzu, Cho said she has served at the local government level for years and was involved in the merger of Tainan County and Tainan City into a single municipality in 2010.

The 67-year-old Chen also participated in financial planning in Tainan, and helped significantly cut the debt owed by the city government, which allowed for more funding to be allocated to local flood control efforts, Cho added.

The premier-designate said he hoped to take advantage of Chen's expertise to expand the central government's investments in society and allocate resources fairly.

Chen Junne-jih, 65, was deputy agriculture minister before being named acting minister in September 2023 after his predecessor Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) resigned over imported egg controversy.

Chuang and Hsu were both deputy heads of their respective agencies before assuming their current posts in January 2023, following a Cabinet reshuffle at the time.

At Tuesday's press conference, Cho lauded Kuan's effort in promoting marine conservation laws during her term and her experience in overseeing the Coast Guard and its efforts to deal with unidentified boats illegally entering the country's waters.

Directorate-General of Personnel Administration head Su Chun-jung will also remain in his post, which he has held since 2022.

Cho commended Su for his efforts in digitizing personnel management and expected him to continue serving civil servants and citizens attentively.

With Tuesday's announcements, a total of 26 members of the new Cabinet have been named, including the premier, vice premier, Cabinet secretary-general and Cabinet spokesperson.

Still to be named are the foreign affairs and defense ministers, the head of the Mainland Affairs Council, and seven to nine ministers without portfolio.