Taiwan gets a new foreign minister - it's announced by Tsai, not successor Lai

Move suggests policy continuity as key appointments usually done by new govt

- Yip Wai Yee

The appointments of Taiwan's next foreign minister and national security council head have caused a stir - not because of who are set to take the jobs but because of who made the announcements.

On April 16, outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen introduced her senior aide, Mr Lin Chia-lung, as Taiwan's new top diplomat, in remarks delivered to a visiting New Zealand parliamentary delegation in Taipei.

Incumbent Foreign Minister Joseph Wu will become the secretary-general of the National Security Council, she added, in a departure from the practice of such announcements being made by the incoming government.

Local media outlets zeroed in on Mr Lin's face at the event and described his reaction as "startled" by the "sudden" announcement. Mr. Wu, however, "remained expressionless".

A Presidential Office spokesperson said any new government appointments would be confirmed by President-elect Lai Ching-te's team.

Opposition politicians have queried Ms Tsai's intentions and her relationship with Mr Lai, her current Vice-President, who is set to be formally inaugurated on May 20.

"Tsai is still too deeply involved in national security issues there's the possibility that she will continue to wield her influence from behind the scenes," lawmaker Ma Wen-chun of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) told reporters in a recorded video clip.

Fellow KMT legislator Luo Chih-chiang said Ms Tsai's move should be interpreted as undermining Mr Lai and that their relationship "requires further observation".