Premier-designate still working on putting together new Cabinet

Taipei, April 10 (CNA) Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), who will become Taiwan's premier on May 20 when President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) takes office, said he is still approaching potential candidates for his new Cabinet and will announce them in groups in the coming weeks.

At a press conference Wednesday, at which the appointments for premier, vice premier, Cabinet secretary-general and spokesperson in the Lai administration were announced, Cho sidestepped many of the questions asked, including about possible members of his future Cabinet.

Cho said Wednesday's announcement was just "the first batch" of a series of announcements that will be made before May 20 on the composition of the Cabinet.

"As we're still asking the [intended candidates], no set decisions can be revealed yet, but we will work toward a 'big democratic alliance,' taking in opinions from all sides and asking people with different backgrounds," Cho said.

In evoking a "big democratic alliance," Cho was echoing President-elect Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) victory speech after he was elected on January 13.

In that address, Lai vowed to build a democratic alliance by "bringing in talent from different political parties" in his administration.

During his opening remarks at the press conference, Cho set out some of the priorities he said Lai had for the new Cabinet, including building an "innovation and high-tech oriented" Taiwan, putting an emphasis on policies for younger people, and bolstering social security.

He said the Cabinet -- which administers the executive branch of government and implements domestic policies -- will seek to create a multicultural and equal rights Taiwan, and offer affordable housing and better child care policies to help the younger generation.

Another major task, he said, was to continue the current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government's battle against corruption and vote-buying practices in local politics and crack down on illicit firearms, gambling and fraud.

Asked later in the press conference when he was approached by Lai to become premier, Cho said he was asked in earnest toward the end of March and beginning of April.

Former Culture Minister Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), who was named vice premier, was then asked by Cho about her interest in taking on the responsibility.

Though he outlined the general priorities of the Lai administration in his opening remarks, Cho provided few details on how those goals would be achieved.

When asked about his future Cabinet's policies, he repeated the refrain that he and other members of the new government will continue to support the incumbent administration's policies.

As for future policies, he said they would be based "on incumbent policies and be further discussed with future cabinet members."

Cho waved off the question of whether the announcement was intentionally chosen for Wednesday to divert attention from former President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平), expected to be held Wednesday afternoon.

"We did not know who went abroad and who was returning at what time. We just thought that the time was ripe for us to make the announcement. There is no other meaning," Cho said.