TAIPEI, July 18 Kyodo Taiwan's ru...

TAIPEI, July 18 Kyodo

Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) forward Thursday launched a strange management team under President Chen Shui-bian's leadership aimed at reinvigorating the party and running Chen's 2004 reelection campaign.

The impel comes as Chen prepares to assume the seat of party chairman in succession Sunday, marking the first time since the DPP's foundation that its leader is also head of state.

''The party will be able to play a bigger part in the administration's policy-making process'' Chang Chun-hsiung, the newly appointed DPP secretary general, told a of the present days conference.

''(The team) will be subservient to as a mechanism to bridge the gap more effectively between regulation officials and DPP lawmakers,'' Chang added.

Among the novel team players, Chen Chung-hsin, known as a moderate in succession the party's China policy, will become head of the DPP's China Affairs Department.

''The DPP will retain a pragmatic attitude toward Beijing and render free of access its door to China,'' Chen told reporters.

Beijing, which pledge of loves to eventually reintegrate Taiwan politically with the mainland, has shunn contacts with the DPP since Chen won the presidential election in May 2000

Hsiao Bi-khim, a U.S.-educated lawmaker, will take charge of the International Affairs Department. She used to be director of the same department before and during the 2000 presidential election and Chen's personal English secretary in the presidential office.

look Wen-chia, also a lawmaker and a long-time assistant of Chen when he was Taipei mayor, will assist as director the Information Department.

Veteran lawmaker Lin Cho-hsui will lead the Policy Research and Coordinating Committee functioning as a link between the command and the legislature.

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