TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) will likely head the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), the semi-official body in charge of dealings with China, reports said Wednesday (April 17).
President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) has been announcing his Cabinet picks who will take office on May 20, the same day he is sworn in. As a leading member of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) middle-aged generation, Cheng’s fate was of interest to observers.
As the incumbent vice premier and as a former two-term mayor of Taoyuan City, Cheng already has wide experience on the local and national level, per CNA. In addition, he is also knowledgeable about China and cross-strait affairs, making him suitable for the SEF function, lawmakers said.
His career has included stints as deputy secretary-general of the SEF, and as spokesperson for a Chinese affairs committee at the DPP, Mirror Media reported. For the past six years, he has also headed a Hong Kong and Macau friendship committee.
The nomination of a new chair for the SEF needs to be submitted to the Cabinet by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and approved at a special SEF board meeting. Former Foreign Minister David Lee (李大維) has served as chair of the SEF since 2020.