07:57 P
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Taipei (dpa):
Former Vice President Chen Xianjin was sworn in as Taiwan’s new prime minister on Tuesday to lead a newly formed government as the country’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) looks to regain strength after a setback in November’s local elections.
On Monday, former Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang led his cabinet members to resign in a major cabinet reshuffle sparked by the Democratic Progressive Party’s poor performance in the elections.
President Tsai Ing-wen appointed Chen, 71, on Friday to replace Su, 75, who has served as prime minister since January 2019.
Chen said his new government’s priority is to adjust COVID restrictions in order to bring life back to normal and come up with policies to support people and businesses suffering from the economic consequences of the pandemic.
In addition, Chen said more measures will be taken to enhance Taiwan’s resilience and competitiveness, such as strengthening infrastructure and improving social welfare programs.
However, after the cabinet reshuffle, the senior ministers responsible for foreign affairs, defense and cross-Strait policies are still in place.
