Su Tseng-chang, former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman, was tapped by President Chen Shui-bian to take over as ROC premier, replacing outgoing Premier Frank Hsieh, who resigned Jan. 16. Upon hearing that he had been appointed to the post of premier, Su thanked the president for giving him a chance to serve the country and pledged that he would not let him down nor disappoint his compatriots.
"I will walk on the right path and do all the things that will benefit the country and the people," promised Su. He said that he is willing to shoulder the heavy burden and embrace all challenges ahead. He then urged the Taiwanese people to work with him in order to make Taiwan a better place.

Chen praised Su as a hard-working man who has demonstrated his administrative competency "from the tail of Taiwan to its head." The president pointed out that Su had served as magistrate of Pingtung, Taiwan's southernmost county, and Taipei, its northernmost.
Chen opined that Su had passed an acid test on "patience and energy," "experience and wisdom," and "character and personality," and that he was confident in the new Cabinet with Su at its head.

Su finalised his Cabinet appointments Jan. 23. As he began choosing members for his new Cabinet Jan. 20, Su said, "It is hard to calculate personnel arrangements mathematically," but that he was trying "to put the right people in the right places." Su appointed Tsai Ing-wen, currently a DPP legislator-at-large, as vice premier of the new Cabinet.

An academic-turned-politician, Tsai was lauded for her policy-making abilities during her stint as chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC). Prior to her MAC appointment, she served as chief negotiator in talks that led to Taiwan's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2002, where she reportedly demonstrated outstanding negotiating skills and a comprehensive knowledge of WTO regulations.
Su said Jan. 21 that his Cabinet would push through cross-strait trade and economic policies as promised in Chen's New Year's message. He also said his Cabinet would heed administrative priorities and the needs of Taiwan.

"The new ministers are chosen to help execute the government policy, meet President Chen's anticipation and Taiwan's needs,'' Su told reporters, adding that he will elaborate on how he intends to achieve these aims at a later date.

The president said in his New Year's Day address that a new "proactive management, effective liberalization" principle for cross-strait trade and economic policies would replace the previous "active opening, effective management" policy instituted in 2001.