The Executive Yuan today named Chen Shi-shuenn as minister without portfolio responsible for public construction affairs and concurrently minister of the Public Construction Commission. Also tapped was Jaclyn Tsai, to serve as minister without portfolio in charge of legal affairs, and at the same time as minister of the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission.
Chen, a professor of construction engineering at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), holds a doctorate in civil engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in the U.S. His previous positions have included president of NTUST, member of the Public Construction Commission, and deputy director-general of the National Expressway Engineering Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. For that ministry, he also served on numerous evaluation committees for major construction projects as well as on selection committees for large build-operate-transfer projects. Chen's rich academic knowledge and solid administrative experience will serve the Executive Yuan well in handling public construction affairs and raising the quality of Taiwan's infrastructure.
Tsai, an attorney and senior partner at Lee, Tsai & Partners law firm, graduated with a bachelor of laws degree from National Taiwan University. During her career, she held the posts of district court judge in Yilan, Changhua, Taoyuan and Taipei, and has served as general counsel of IBM Taiwan and IBM Greater China (Taiwan, Hong Kong and the mainland). Her expertise spans international and cross-strait technology and intellectual property laws as well as Taiwan's Consumer Protection Law, Fair Trade Act and Labor Standards Act. A seasoned veteran of the domestic legal system, Tsai stands ready and capable of reviewing legal cases for the Executive Yuan. Her knowledge of international and cross-strait regulations on technology, intellectual property, commerce and e-commerce will be valuable as the Executive Yuan pushes the Economic Power-Up Plan and negotiates favorable terms for Taiwanese investors in mainland China.
The Executive Yuan explained that ministers without portfolio are the premier's key aides in managing and reviewing the affairs of government ministries and commissions. These two new ministers are expected to enhance the competitiveness and governance quality of the Cabinet. Premier Jiang Yi-huah also hopes that all Cabinet members will work closely together to advance the welfare and interests of people.