Винсент Сью: Биография тайваньского политика

Taiwanese politician

Vincent C. Siew or Siew Wan chang (; born 3 January 1939) is a Taiwanese politician who served as the Vice President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2008 to 2012. He was the first Taiwanese born Premier of the Republic of China and former vice chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT).

Born in Chiayi City in the then Japanese colony of Taiwan on 3 January 1939, Siew graduated from Chiayi High School in 1957. In 1961, he graduated from the Department of Diplomacy at National Chengchi University (NCCU). After completing his conscription, he passed the Foreign Affairs Special Examination of 1962. He subsequently received his master's degree from the Graduate Institute of International Law and Diplomacy from NCCU in 1965. Although he was accepted by Harvard University, Siew chose to remain in Taiwan heeding his mother's wishes. He completed a leadership seminar at Georgetown University in the United States in 1982 and was awarded Eisenhower Fellowships in 1985.

In April 1966, he was appointed as vice consul at the ROC Consulate General in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and promoted as consul in 1969, a position he held until 1972. During his office term, he built close relationship between Taiwan and the governments and people of Malaysia and Singapore. He also successfully negotiated the establishment of the Trade Mission of the Republic of China in Singapore and its counterpart Singapore Trade Office in Taipei. After the switch of China seat at the United Nations on 25 October 1971 from Republic of China (ROC) to the People's Republic of China (PRC) and amid massive changes within the international community, Siew determined to return to Taiwan. Once home, he became a section chief at the Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). He then joined the Board of Foreign Trade (BOFT) under the MOFA in 1972 which he rose from an inspector, department director until deputy director general. He used to travel frequently between Taiwan and the United States (US) for bilateral trade agreement negotiation until the US switched diplomatic relations from ROC to PRC on 1 January 1979. In January 1982, he became the director general of BOFT. During his office term, he worked towards simplifying laws and regulations, and also strengthening personnel management at the BOFT. To reduce the trade surplus between Taiwan and the US, he led trade missions to cover almost all US states as part of a campaign that drew considerable attention. He also participated in a number of additional trade missions to major trading nations to enhance economic and trade relations and resolve trade disputes. He vigorously promoted trade liberalization and globalization. He also authorized banks to process import export permits, promoted professional training and introduced a rotating system for economic and trade representatives stationed outside Taiwan. His efforts helped build Taiwan's very substantial foreign exchange reserves and made Taiwan the world's 13th largest trading nation.

On 15 December 1994, Siew was appointed to become the Minister of Mainland Affairs Council replacing Huang Kun huei. During his office term, he proposed a fresh series of measures and actions to relax restrictions on trade with and investment in Mainland China to encourage the development of Cross Strait relations through trade and investment activities.

Siew was appointed as the Premier by President Lee Teng hui after the 15th National Congress of Kuomintang held in August 1997 in Taipei. Siew took office on 1 September 1997.

Premier Siew instructed Taiwan Power Company to sign the unpublished agreement with Mainland China regarding Taiwan's nuclear waste storage in Gansu province. A memorandum of it was signed during his term as Premier, although it was later suspended after the transfer of power in 2000 to Premier Tang Fei.

On 18 March 2000, Siew joined the 2000 presidential election as a candidate for vice president with his running mate Lien Chan. However, Siew and Lien lost the election to Chen Shui bian and Annette Lu of the Democratic Progressive Party.

In May 2007, Siew was mentioned as a possible running mate for KMT presidential nominee Ma Ying Jeou. This speculation came to fruition after Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin pyng declined Ma's offer to be his running mate. On 23 June 2007, ending weeks of speculation, Ma formally introduced Siew to be his vice presidential running mate. The 2008 run is Siew's second ticket, having been selected also as the vice presidential candidate of Lien Chan's KMT ticket in 2000. On March 22, Ma and Siew won the 2008 presidential elections. He and Ma won with 7,659,014 (58.45%) votes against Hsieh and Su's 5,444,949 (41.55%) votes.

On 11 April 2008, Vincent Siew departed Taiwan to attend the Boao Forum for Asia, held in Boao, Hainan, which is administered by mainland China. Siew is a founding delegate of the forum from 2001, and he attended once again in his capacity as chairman of the Cross Straits Common Market Foundation. Siew had met with Chinese Communist Party general secretary Hu Jintao in Bo'ao in 2001. However, his special status as the vice president elect in 2008 made his attendance more significant, but also more controversial in Taiwan. His meeting with Hu Jintao was the highest level exchange between Taiwan and mainland China since the 2005 Pan Blue visits to mainland China. The level of reception for Siew in Hainan was scaled accordingly and was equivalent to that reserved for Lien Chan in 2005. On 12 April 2008, Vincent Siew met with Hu Jintao at the Boao Asia Forum as part of the Cross Strait Common Market Foundation delegation, which also included other former and future government officials and business leaders from Taiwan. At the meeting, Siew and Hu exchanged their optimism for cross strait relations under the new Taiwanese leadership of Ma Ying jeou and Vincent Siew. Hu asked Siew to convey his greetings to Ma Ying jeou, Kuomintang chairman Wu Po hsiung and chairman emeritus Lien Chan. Siew raised the issue of regular cross strait flights and the resumption of regular talks between the two governments, propositions to which Hu expressed agreement.

Siew, along with Ma, was sworn in on 20 May 2008 in Taipei to be Vice President and President of the Republic of China respectively.

On 4 September 2008, Siew embarked on his first overseas trip as vice president, visiting Swaziland for four days. Siew's trip aimed to cement further the diplomatic ties between the two countries, and to celebrate King Mswati III's fortieth birthday. Foreign Minister Francisco Ou accompanied Siew on the trip.

Siew declined to run for a second term in Ma's 2012 re election bid. Ma, instead, nominated Premier Wu Den yih for the vice presidential slot on the ticket.

Siew, in his capacity as the honorary chairman of the Cross Straits Common Market Foundation, attended the Boao Forum for Asia held in April 2014 in Hainan where he met with Premier Li Keqiang. He reiterated the intention of Taiwan to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. He also told Li that Taiwan and Mainland China should push for greater bilateral trade liberalization to build a comprehensive economic relationship and express Taiwan's wish to join the regional economy.

In November 2014 in his capacity of the Economic Leader of Chinese Taipei, Siew flew to Beijing to attend the APEC China 2014 where he met with Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People. Both leaders agreed that there should be no changes in the 1992 Consensus and two other principles in pushing forward with the development of cross Strait relations. Xi said that although relations of both sides have seen some progress over the past few years, there had been also some new problems. He added that the two sides should try to maintain the long term and healthy development of relation by improving the confidence, mutual trust, respect and interaction. Part of Siew delegation included Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu chi and several Taiwanese business people.

Siew is married to Susan Chu with three daughters: Ru ting (蕭如婷), Ru fen (蕭如芬) and (蕭至佑). Susan is a graduate from the Department of International Trade of National Chengchi University. Siew speaks Hokkien, He was then discharged from the hospital on 3 June 2009.