Minister of Science and Technology Simon Chang has been named the new vice premier. That’s the word from the Cabinet on Friday.
Chang will fill the post left by Mao Chi-kuo, who was appointed premier earlier this week as part of a Cabinet reshuffle in the wake of the ruling Kuomintang’s defeat in local elections on November 29.
The current Cabinet-level minister John Deng will take over as the new economics minister. Deng has extensive experience working as a negotiator under both Kuomintang and Democratic Progressive Party administrations. Deng’s extensive experience includes serving as deputy economics minister and deputy representative to the World Trade Organization. When the Democratic Progressive Party was in power, he was deputy minister of the Mainland Affairs Council, and President Ma Ying-jeou continued to use him in high-profile positions after taking office.
Meanwhile, the transportation minister and the minister of the National Development Council remain the same.
The new Cabinet will assume their posts on December 8.