Date: June 22, 2018
MAC Press Release No. 43
The Organic Act of the Mainland Affairs Council passed the third reading in the Legislative Yuan on May 22, 2018, and was promulgated by the President on June 13, 2018. A ceremony to inaugurate the newly reorganized Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) will be held on July 2. The MAC stated that the major organizational changes this time included renaming the Council from the "Mainland Affairs Council, Executive Yuan" to the "Mainland Affairs Council." Moreover, the three deputy minister positions will no longer include a specially appointed deputy minister, but be formed instead by two political deputy ministers and one permanent deputy minister. The organizational structure will continue to consist of six business units and have five supporting units (adding an Information Management Office) and two units equivalent to overseas offices (the Office of Hong Kong Affairs and the Office of Macao Affairs).
The MAC further explained that MAC Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng will be reappointed to serve as one of the two political deputy ministers. Deputy Minister Chiu has served as a MAC deputy minister and spokesperson since May 20, 2016. He has a deep understanding of cross-Strait economic and trade policies, Hong Kong and Macao studies, and strategic and policy studies and has made outstanding and highly recognized achievements. Chairman of the Institute of Sociology at National Tsing Hua University Chen Ming-chi will serve as the other political deputy minister. He holds a doctorate in sociology from Yale University and has extensive expertise in the sociology of the Taiwanese business community and mainland China studies. MAC Chief Secretary Lee Li-jane will be promoted to fill the permanent deputy minister position. She earned her M.A. from the Graduate Institute of Public Policy at National Chung Hsing University and has served at the MAC since its establishment. She previously held the positions of Assistant Director-General, Senior Advisor, Deputy Director-General, and Director-General of the Department of Economic Affairs. She has extensive administration experience and is highly proficient in cross-Strait policy affairs.
The MAC hoped for the directorship of the Office of Hong Kong Affairs to be filled by a person with overseas assignment experience, given the importance of this position. The Executive Yuan therefore approved the appointment of incumbent MAC Counselor and Secretariat Director-General Lu Chang-shui as the office's new director. Director-General Lu has served at the MAC for many years in the previous positions of Director-General of the Department of Information and Liaison and Director-General of the Office of Macao Affairs. The MAC is confident that he is an ideal candidate for the position.
The MAC emphasized that the reorganization and appointment of new political and permanent deputy ministers will further support its organizational development, enhance the planning and coordination of cross-Strait affairs, and hopefully usher in a new era of peaceful and stable cross-Strait relations.