TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Former Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) will return to the Cabinet as minister without portfolio, Premier-designate Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said Friday (May 9).
As minister from 2017 to 2022, Chen led Taiwan’s campaign against the COVID-19 virus. He left office to run as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate in the November 2022 Taipei City mayoral elections but lost.
Other new ministers without portfolios announced by Cho on Friday included incumbent Culture Minister Shih Che (史哲), Deputy Trade Representative Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮), and legal expert Lin Ming-hsin (林明昕), the Liberty Times reported.
Yang played an important role in negotiations for the United States-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade. Yang has also been chairing the Taiwan Council for United States Affairs since 2020 and was viewed as the natural successor to top trade negotiator John Deng (鄧振中).
Lin was an expert in constitutional and administrative law. He has been teaching at the College of Law at National Taiwan University (NTU) since 2006.
The full Cabinet will be sworn in on May 20, the same day as the inauguration of President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴).
