TAIPEI, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has appointed Tainan city mayor William Lai as premier, the presidential office said on Tuesday, a widely expected choice that signals a course correction by a president facing declining public support.

Lai's appointment comes one day after the president accepted the resignation of Lin Chuan, who had served as premier since the president took office in May 2016.

An administrative reshuffle to replace the premier has been anticipated for months as the president's approval ratings have dropped considerably since her inauguration, falling below 30 percent as of August, according to a private foundation survey. (Reporting by Faith Hung; Editing by Shri Navaratnam) </s> TAIPEI: Taiwan has appointed as premier William Lai, the mayor of its southern city of Tainan, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday (Sep 5), as she moved to shore up declining public support.

A reshuffle to replace the premier had been anticipated for months as Tsai's approval ratings dropped below 30 per cent by August, a private foundation survey showed, from nearly 70 per cent soon after her 2016 inauguration.

"We have a clear direction for our reforms," Tsai told a news briefing. "Premier Lai will lead the administrative team, iron out any problems, and take us forward."

Lai's appointment comes a day after the resignation of Lin Chuan, the premier since Tsai took office in May 2016.

Frozen ties with China, a massive power outage in the tech hub for Apple Inc and other global firms, a backlash over pension reforms and a revised labour rule, are among the controversies that put pressure on Tsai to replace Lin, as she prepares for her 2020 re-election campaign.

Lai, a Harvard graduate, was a lawmaker for four consecutive terms and a whip of Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus before becoming in 2010 the mayor of Tainan, home to the plants of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and other technology firms.

"I'll redouble our efforts to reform and transform, for the benefit of the people of Taiwan," Lai said.

However, Lai's premiership would not necessarily help the president improve her ratings, some analysts have said. </s> (L-R) Former premier William Lai, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and new premier Su Tseng-chang join hands after a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan, January 11, 2019.

TAIPEI - Taiwan on Friday appointed the former chairman of its ruling pro-independence party as premier, after the incumbent resigned along with the entire cabinet, in response to local election defeats.

November's election losses presented a major challenge to President Tsai Ing-wen, who faced mounting criticism at home over her reform agenda while facing renewed threats from China, which considers the self-ruled island its own.

Tsai appointed Su Tseng-chang, a two-term former chairman of her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), saying Taiwan faced challenges amid rising Chinese threats and trade tension between key backer the United States and China.

"Taiwan's democracy and development must face certain challenges," Tsai said, adding that China was looking to force its "one country, two systems" structure on the island.

Su vowed to lead the administration amid the challenges and learn from earlier mistakes.

"The situation is difficult and the task is tough," he said.

Su's appointment followed the widely expected resignation of William Lai, the second premier to quit since Tsai took office in 2016, in line with a practice of leaders quitting when their party loses a major election.

"I must resign to take responsibility for the election defeat," Lai told a cabinet meeting earlier on Friday.

Taiwan's premier forms the cabinet and runs the government on a day-to-day basis. New ministerial appointments are expected soon.

Just a year ahead of the next presidential election, analysts say Tsai and the new premier must shore up public support for the government's policy on China ties and further boost the island's export-reliant economy in a challenging year amid the China-US trade war.

Su was appointed premier in 2006 by former president Chen Shui-bian, who infuriated Beijing and strained Taiwan's relationship with the United States during his tenure from 2000 to 2008.

Su, nicknamed "light bulb" by his supporters for his bald head, has led Taiwan's most populous New Taipei City for years. He was defeated by a candidate from the China-friendly opposition Kuomintang in November.

Tsai has said her administration would reflect on the election defeats but would stand firm to defend Taiwan's democracy in the face of renewed Chinese threats.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has stepped up pressure on Taiwan since Tsai became president, threatened this month to use force to bring the island under Beijing's rule and urged "reunification".

"The new premier not only has to focus on domestic matters but must also pay much more attention to cross-Strait and national security issues," Yao Chia-wen, a senior adviser to the president, told Reuters.

He said the new premier must deal with issues such as the prevention of swine fever from China and possible election interference.

Some from within the embattled leader's party have urged Tsai not to seek re-election. She has not explicitly said whether she would run for president in 2020 but has warned against Chinese efforts to interfere with elections. </s> The resignation of Taiwan's premier has raised the possibility of changes in the island's troubled relationship with mainland China.

The Presidential Office said on its website Monday that President Tsai Ing-wen had reluctantly accepted Lin Chuan's resignation.

Tsai is to announce a successor on Tuesday, with the official Central News Agency saying her pick will be William Lai, mayor of the southern city of Tainan who has advocated seeking common ground with China.

China cut off contacts with Tsai's government more than a year ago because of her refusal to endorse Beijing's view that Taiwan is a part of China. The sides separated amid civil war in 1949 and China continues to threaten force to gain control over the island of 23 million people. </s> Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen named Su Tseng-chang as the island's new prime minister on Friday following the resignation Lai Ching-te and the members his government over the recent electoral setback suffered by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

The president announced the appointment at a press conference in which both the incoming and outgoing premiers were present, state-run agency CNA reported on Friday. </s> TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s president on Tuesday appointed a new premier seen as willing to reach out to rival China amid ongoing tense relations between the two sides.

President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday named William Lai to head up the government following the resignation Monday of Lin Chuan. Lin had asked to leave the post before local elections next year added an unwanted political element to his work.

The smooth transfer of office “represents that there is absolutely no problem with the communication and handing over of the functions within the Cabinet,” Tsai told reporters at a news conference attended by both Lin and

“All the reform projects will be handed over and carried on,” Tsai said.

Lai, a 57-year-old physician, served for 11 years in the legislature and since 2010 has been mayor of the southern city of Tainan.

China cut off all contacts with Tsai’s government more than a year ago after she refused to endorse Beijing’s position that Taiwan is Chinese territory.

Over the past year, China has persuaded two of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to switch sides as it ratchets up its diplomatic and economic pressure on Tsai’s administration. China has refused to renounce using force to gain control over Taiwan if it were deemed necessary.

Despite concerns over China, Tsai said in her remarks that she expected the government’s emphasis to remain on transforming the economy to boost innovation and create well-paying high-tech jobs. </s> TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan Premier William Lai said on Saturday he had offered his resignation to the president, after the ruling Democratic Progressive Party was trounced in mayoral elections.

“The election results showed that people are not satisfied. For this, I feel sorry, and have offered my resignation to President Tsai Ing-wen to accept political responsibility,” he wrote in a statement on his Facebook page. </s> Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen casts her vote for the local elections in New Taipei City, Taiwan, November 24, 2018. Chang Haoan/Pool/via REUTERS

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Saturday she was resigning as chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party after mayoral election defeats.

Tsai also told a news conference that she had not accepted the resignation of her premier, William Lai, who had offered to quit earlier in the evening. </s> TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwan's president on Tuesday appointed a new premier seen as willing to reach out to rival China amid ongoing tense relations between the two sides.

President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday named William Lai to head up the government following the resignation Monday of Lin Chuan. Lin had asked to leave the post before local elections next year added an unwanted political element to his work.

The smooth transfer of office "represents that there is absolutely no problem with the communication and handing over of the functions within the Cabinet," Tsai told reporters at a news conference attended by both Lin and

"All the reform projects will be handed over and carried on," Tsai said.

Lai, a 57-year-old physician, served for 11 years in the legislature and since 2010 has been mayor of the southern city of Tainan.

China cut off all contacts with Tsai's government more than a year ago after she refused to endorse Beijing's position that Taiwan is Chinese territory.

Over the past year, China has persuaded two of Taiwan's diplomatic allies to switch sides as it ratchets up its diplomatic and economic pressure on Tsai's administration. China has refused to renounce using force to gain control over Taiwan if it were deemed necessary.

Despite concerns over China, Tsai said in her remarks that she expected the government's emphasis to remain on transforming the economy to boost innovation and create well-paying high-tech jobs.
Tainan Mayor William Lai Ching-te is appointed as the new Premier by the President of the Republic of China Tsai Ing-wen.