Tsai Administration's Net-Zero Shift: New Tide Elder Hong Chi-chang Appointed Forward Electronics Chairman to Seize Carbon Credits

On July 6, 2023, Forward Electronics, a listed subsidiary of the Tatung Group, appointed DPP New Tide co-founder and former SEF Chairman Hong Chi-chang as its chairman. This appointment coincided with the Tsai Ing-wen administration's establishment of the "Taiwan Carbon Solution Exchange." Hong immediately announced a massive project to develop 144,000 hectares of forest carbon credits in Indonesia, drawing heavy public criticism. Observers compared this move to another New Tide elder, Lai jinn-lin (former chairman of Jacy Energy/雲豹能源), who dominated domestic green energy projects. It was criticized as a political division of spoils, where New Tide elites and the Tatung Group colluded to leverage factional influence and Tsai's net-zero policy to seize international carbon assets. Hong hurriedly resigned in November 2025 after being sued by Huang Kuo-chang for the NACS procurement scandal.