Joseph Wu

Joseph Wu Chao-hsieh (traditional Chinese: 吳釗燮; simplified Chinese: 呉钊燮; pinyin: Wú Zhāoxiè; Wade–Giles: Wú Chāo-hsièh; born 1954) was formerly the chief representative of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the United States as the head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington, D.C.. He was appointed to that position in mid-April 2007 by President Chen Shui-bian to succeed his predecessor, David Lee.

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 papers critical of the PRC while in the United States. 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 of the Republic of China (Taiwan), the body charged with coordinating relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC), by Chen in May 2004.

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. Wu was the only non-Kuomintang representative of the ROC to the United States.

His tenure as head of TECRO lasted one year and three months.^[1]

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