Joseph Wu

Assuming office
20 May 2024PresidentWilliam LaiSucceedingWellington KooIn office
20 May 2016 – 22 May 2017PresidentTsai Ing-wenDeputyPreceded byKao Hua-chuSucceeded byYen Teh-fa27th Minister of Foreign AffairsAssumed office
26 February 2018Prime MinisterWilliam Lai
Su Tseng-Chang
Chen Chien-jenDeputy Preceded byDavid LeeSucceeded byLin Chia-lung (designate)34th Secretary-General to the PresidentIn office
22 May 2017 – 26 February 2018PresidentTsai Ing-wenDeputyPreceded byLiu Chien-sin (acting)Succeeded byLiu Chien-sin (acting)20th Secretary-General of the Democratic Progressive PartyIn office
28 May 2014 – 24 May 2016ChairwomenTsai Ing-wenPreceded byLin Hsi-yaoSucceeded byHung Yao-fu10th Taiwanese Representative to the United StatesIn office
10 April 2007 – 26 July 2008PresidentChen Shui-bian
Ma Ying-jeouPreceded byDavid LeeSucceeded byJason Yuan7th Minister of the Mainland Affairs CouncilIn office
20 May 2004 – 10 April 2007Prime MinisterPreceded byTsai Ing-wenSucceeded byChen Ming-tong Personal detailsBorn (1954-10-31) October 31, 1954 (age 69)
Dacheng, Changhua County, TaiwanPolitical partyDemocratic Progressive Party (since 2002)EducationChinese nameTraditional Chinese吳釗燮Simplified Chinese呉钊燮

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Wú Zhāoxiè
Wade–Giles	Wú Chāo-hsièh
Tongyong Pinyin	Wú Jhaosiè
Yale Romanization	Wú Jāusyè
IPA	[tɕjàŋ tʰǐŋfǔ]
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	Ng4 Ciu1-sit8
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Ngô͘ Chiau-siat

Joseph Wu Jaushieh^[1] (Chinese: 吳釗燮; pinyin: Wú Zhāoxiè; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ngô͘ Chiau-siat; born October 31, 1954) is a Taiwanese politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Taiwan (ROC) under current President Tsai Ing-wen since February 26, 2018. He was formerly the Secretary-General to the President of Taiwan and the Secretary-General of the National Security Council of Taiwan. From 2007 to 2008, he was Chief Representative of Taiwan to the United States as the head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington, D.C., having been appointed to that position by President Chen Shui-bian to succeed his predecessor, David Lee. On February 26, 2018, he took over the position of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, again succeeding David Lee.^[2]

Educational background

Prior to entering politics, he was an academic political scientist, finishing his PhD in political science in 1989 at Ohio State University. He wrote his doctoral thesis on progress and obstacles to democratization in Taiwan. ^[3] He served as a teacher and research assistant in the political science department of Ohio State University in the United States, and as deputy director of the Institute of International Relations of National Chengchi University in Taiwan.

Rise in politics

Formerly the Deputy Secretary General of the Presidential Office for President Chen Shui-bian, Wu was appointed the chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, the body charged with coordinating relations with Mainland China (the People's Republic of China), by Chen in May 2004.^{[citation needed]}

His appointment as Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council proved somewhat controversial due to his reputation as a supporter of Taiwan independence, especially in light of the simultaneous appointment as foreign minister of former independence activist Mark Chen. His tenure as head of TECRO lasted one year and three months.^[4]

Cross-strait relations

On April 11, 2013, the ROC Cabinet approved a bill to establish a Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) branch office in Mainland China and an Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) office in Taiwan. Wu - who was once the ROC Minister of Mainland Affairs Council - said that for the ARATS office to be established in Taiwan, it would need to have three prerequisites: the office should never evolve to become like the PRC Liaison Office in Hong Kong; the office's mandate must be clearly defined; and the officers must adhere to international diplomatic regulations.^[5]

In May 2021, he became the first person listed on the “diehard supporters of Taiwan independence” blacklist proposed by the Chinese government.^[6]

References

Government offices
Preceded by David Lee	Taiwanese Representative to the United States 2007–2008	Succeeded by Jason Yuan
	Minister of Foreign Affairs 2018–present	Incumbent