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Eric Chu Li-luan (; born on 7 June 1961) is a Taiwanese politician. He was born into a political family with strong
Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
(KMT) ties, and served as Vice Premier of the Republic of China, under Premier
Wu Den-yih Wu may refer to: States and regions on modern China's territory *Wu (state) (; och, *, italic=yes, links=no), a kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period 771–476 BCE ** Suzhou or Wu (), its eponymous capital ** Wu County (), a former county i ...
. Prior to this, Chu served as legislator (1999 to 2001) and as the magistrate of
Taoyuan County Taoyuan County () is under the administration of Changde, Hunan, Hunan Province, China. The Yuan River, a tributary of the Yangtze, flows through Taoyuan. It covers an area of 4441 square kilometers, of which is arable land. It is from Zhangji ...
(2001 to 2009). He was elected as the first mayor of the newly established city of New Taipei on 27 November 2010. On 17 January 2015, he was elected unopposed as Chairman of the
Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
, succeeding
Ma Ying-jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, 馬英九, born 13 July 1950) is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese politician who served as president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. Previously, he served as justice minister from 1993 to 1996 and mayor of Taipei from ...
. On 17 October 2015, he was chosen as KMT candidate for the 2016 presidential election replacing incumbent candidate
Hung Hsiu-chu Hung Hsiu-chu (; born 7 April 1948) is a Taiwanese politician. As a member of the Kuomintang (KMT), she has served the party as a Deputy Chairperson and Deputy Secretary-General. Hung was first elected to the legislature in 1990, and was the Vi ...
. Chu was defeated by his opponent
Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician serving as president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 2016. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Tsai is the first female president of Taiwan. She served as ...
, and subsequently resigned his post as KMT chairman. He was succeeded as mayor of New Taipei by
Hou You-yi Hou Yu-ih (; born 7 June 1957), also romanized Hou You-yi, is a Taiwanese politician. He has served as Director-General of the National Police Agency from 2006 to 2008 and as acting mayor of New Taipei City from October 2015 to January 2016. H ...
in 2018.


Early life

Chu was born in Bade City,
Taoyuan County Taoyuan County () is under the administration of Changde, Hunan, Hunan Province, China. The Yuan River, a tributary of the Yangtze, flows through Taoyuan. It covers an area of 4441 square kilometers, of which is arable land. It is from Zhangji ...
,
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.The Mayor of Taoyuan County ― Eric Liluan Chu
." ''Taoyuan County''. Retrieved on 2 February 2009.
His ancestral home is Iwu, Chekiang, and he is the son of a local Taoyuan County politician who served in the local legislature and also in the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
. Chu's mother is from Daxi Township. Chu is married to Kao Wan-ching (); his father-in-law,
Kao Yu-jen Kao Yu-jen or Gao Yuren (pinyin)(; born 30 August 1934) is a Taiwanese politician. Education and personal life Kao studied law at National Taiwan University. Eric Chu is married to Kao's daughter Kao Wan-ching. Kao's son Kao Su-po has served as ...
, is former speaker of the
Taiwan Provincial Assembly The Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council (TPCC) was the council of the streamlined Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. In July 2018, all duties of the Taiwan Provincial Government and TPCC were transferred to the National Development Cou ...
, chairman of Twinhead International Corp and founder of FiberLogic Communications. Chu studied at the
National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...
, earning a bachelor's degree in management in 1983. After completing compulsory military service in the
Republic of China Armed Forces The Republic of China Armed Forces (ROC Armed Forces) are the armed forces of the Republic of China (ROC), once based in mainland China and currently in its remaining jurisdictions which include the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu ...
, Chu then went abroad to study at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...
in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
where he completed a master's degree in finance in 1987 and a PhD in accounting in 1991.


Early career

After graduation, Chu taught as an assistant professor at
City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...
before returning to teach in Taiwan in 1992. He initially taught as an associate professor in accounting at
National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...
and was promoted to a tenured professor in 1997.


Early political career

He ran in the Republic of China legislative election held on 5 December 1998, was elected as a
Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
legislator, and took office on 1 February 1999. During his office term, he focused on financial and economic issues of Taiwan. In 2000, he was appointed Chairman of the Budgetary Committee and the Finance Committee of the
Legislative Yuan The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for 4-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a parallel v ...
. He served in these positions for one year until 2001.


Taoyuan County magistrate


2001 Taoyuan County magistrate election

Chu won the 2001 Taoyuan County Magistrate election held on 1 December 2001 as a member of then-opposition
Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
, defeating
Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalist and centre-left political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Controlling both the Republic of China presidency and the unicameral Legislative Yuan, it is the majori ...
(DPP) candidate
Perng Shaw-jiin Perng Shaw-jiin (; born 28 February 1957) is a Taiwanese lawyer and politician. Education and early career Perng majored in law at National Taiwan University, before earning an LL.M from Soochow University and a doctorate of law from the Univers ...
.


2005 Taoyuan County magistrate election

Chu ran for re-election in the 2005 Republic of China local election on 3 December 2005 and defeated DPP challenger
Cheng Pao-ching Cheng may refer to: Chinese states * Chengjia or Cheng (25–36 AD) * Cheng Han or Cheng (304–338) * Zheng (state), or Cheng in Wade–Giles Places * Chengdu, abbreviated as Cheng * Cheng County, in Gansu, China * Cheng Township, in Malacca, Ma ...
, CEO of Taiwan Salt Company. He then took office for his second term as magistrate on 20 December 2005.


2009 Founders Awards

In March 2009, Magistrate Chu, with other three local government officials, was named by the Intelligent Community Forum as the recipient of its annual Founders Awards for his effort in digital and technology development. The forum studies the impact of technology on communities.


Grandmother's house named historic site

According to the
Liberty Times The ''Liberty Times'' is a national newspaper published in Taiwan. Founded by Lin Rong-San, it is published by the Liberty Times Group, which also publishes ''Taipei Times'', an English language newspaper . The newspaper was first published on 1 ...
, while Chu was serving as magistrate, his grandmother's home in Daxi was designated a historic architectural site; in 2014, after Chu registered to run for chairmanship of the KMT, just prior to the transfer of power to the DPP, the Taoyuan County Government Cultural Affairs Bureau signed contracts of NT$30.17 million (US$1 mil) of public spending to renovate the site.


Resignation from position as County Magistrate

Chu did not complete his second term. He resigned his post as Taoyuan County Magistrate when he was named vice premier in 2009. He was succeeded by Deputy Magistrate Huang Min-kon (黃敏恭) as acting magistrate on 10 September 2009.


Kuomintang Vice Chairmanship

During his second term as
Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
of
Taoyuan County Taoyuan County () is under the administration of Changde, Hunan, Hunan Province, China. The Yuan River, a tributary of the Yangtze, flows through Taoyuan. It covers an area of 4441 square kilometers, of which is arable land. It is from Zhangji ...
, Chu concurrently served as the Vice Chairman of
Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
from November 2008 until October 2009.


2009 Straits Forum

Addressing the audience as KMT Vice Chairman during the first
Straits Forum The Straits Forum () is an annual forum between Mainland China and Taiwan which started in 2009. It is the largest non-political platform which promotes grassroots interaction, economic and trade exchanges and cultural integration. Forums 1st F ...
in May 2009 held in
Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...
,
Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...
, Chu stressed the importance of mindset change in boosting economic development across the strait, choose common development and jointly create a mutual benefit situation for both sides.


ROC Vice Premiership


Vice Premier appointment

Chu was tapped by President
Ma Ying-jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, 馬英九, born 13 July 1950) is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese politician who served as president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. Previously, he served as justice minister from 1993 to 1996 and mayor of Taipei from ...
to be the Vice Premier to
Wu Den-yih Wu may refer to: States and regions on modern China's territory *Wu (state) (; och, *, italic=yes, links=no), a kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period 771–476 BCE ** Suzhou or Wu (), its eponymous capital ** Wu County (), a former county i ...
on 7 September 2009, in a reshuffling of the
Executive Yuan The Executive Yuan () is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Its leader is the Premier, who is appointed by the President of the Republic of China, and requires confirmation by the Legislative Yuan. ...
due to the slow disaster response to
Typhoon Morakot Typhoon Morakot, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Kiko, was the deadliest typhoon to impact Taiwan in recorded history. The eighth named storm and fourth typhoon of the 2009 Pacific typhoon season, Morakot wrought catastrophic damage in Taiwa ...
. Chu's position as Magistrate of Taoyuan County was succeeded by Deputy Magistrate Huang Min-kon. At the age of 48, Chu was the youngest Vice Premier in ROC history.


Vice Premier resignation

On 13 May 2010, Chu submitted his resignation to Premier Wu to run for mayor of the newly created
New Taipei City New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, be ...
, the successor of
Taipei County New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, be ...
. Financial Supervisory Commission chairperson Sean Chen was tapped to succeed Chu as deputy premier.


New Taipei City Mayoralty


2010 New Taipei City mayoralty election

In May 2010 before the New Taipei City Mayor election, Chu outlined his vision for the city. Noting the gap between New Taipei and Taipei, Chu promised to transform New Taipei if he was elected, where completing the mass rapid transit network in New Taipei will be his top priority. Chu defeated DPP Chairwoman
Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician serving as president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 2016. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Tsai is the first female president of Taiwan. She served as ...
on 27 November 2010, to become the first mayor of New Taipei on 25 December 2010. He named
Hou You-yi Hou Yu-ih (; born 7 June 1957), also romanized Hou You-yi, is a Taiwanese politician. He has served as Director-General of the National Police Agency from 2006 to 2008 and as acting mayor of New Taipei City from October 2015 to January 2016. H ...
, Hsu Chih-chien, and Lee Shih-chuan deputy mayors of the city. Hou and Chen Shen-hsien shared the deputy mayoral post soon after Lee was named Secretary-General of the Executive Yuan on 25 February 2014 and Hsu had stepped down on 30 June 2014 due to health concerns.


Wikileaks

The content of some of Chu's conversations with Stephen Young of the
American Institute in Taiwan The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT; ) is the ''de facto'' Embassy of the United States of America in Taiwan. The AIT institution is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the federal government of the United States in Taiwan with Congressional oversi ...
was included in US diplomatic cables that were released by
WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is an international Nonprofit organization, non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous Source (journalism), sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activism, Internet acti ...
in 2011. Chu claims that those cables do not accurately reflect the content of his conversations with Young.


Taiwanese fisherman shooting incident

The '' Guang Da Xing No. 28'' was fishing in disputed water in the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...
on 9 May 2013 when the
Philippine Coast Guard The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ( fil, Tanod Baybayin ng Pilipinas) is recognized as the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within Ph ...
opened fire on the Taiwanese fishing boat. Chu condemned the shooting and said that he would suspend all of the exchanges between
New Taipei City New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, be ...
and the Philippines until the Philippine government apologized for the incident, compensated the victim's family and prosecuted the perpetrators.


2014 New Taipei City mayoralty election

On 29 November 2014, Chu won the New Taipei City mayoralty election, defeating his opponent
Yu Shyi-kun You Si-kun (; born 25 April 1948), also romanized Yu Shyi-kun, is a Taiwanese politician serving as a member and the president of the Legislative Yuan. He was one of the founding members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and is known ...
of the
Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalist and centre-left political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Controlling both the Republic of China presidency and the unicameral Legislative Yuan, it is the majori ...
. He had been expected to win a landslide victory, but he won by slightly more than 1% of the vote total. His second mayoral term started on 25 December 2014.


Kuomintang chairmanship


First term

On 17 January 2015, Chu ran unopposed in the KMT chairmanship election. He was the only candidate to have registered and paid the
NT$ The New Taiwan dollar (code: TWD; symbol: NT$, also abbreviated as NT) is the official currency of Taiwan. The New Taiwan dollar has been the currency of Taiwan since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar, at a rate of 40,000 old dollars ...
2 million registration fee. He succeeded
Ma Ying-jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, 馬英九, born 13 July 1950) is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese politician who served as president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. Previously, he served as justice minister from 1993 to 1996 and mayor of Taipei from ...
, who had resigned on 3 December 2014 to take responsibility for KMT losses in the ROC local election on 29 November 2014. Prior to the election, Chu said he had not yet decided on meeting with
Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...
after being elected as KMT chairman. Furthermore, he said that "Cross-strait relations must stick to the current peaceful, open and mutually beneficial path, no matter which party is in power...but the economic benefits brought about by cross-strait development must not only go to a few vested groups...(and) We will pay special attention to an equitable distribution of wealth." On 4 May 2015, Chu met with
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the paramount leader o ...
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...
in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. During his first term as party chair, Chu also acknowledged that the KMT accumulated much of its wealth illegally, and that these assets should be returned to the nation. In 2000 Chu claimed that these assets total US$3.15 billion; they include 146 plots of land, many in prime locations, as well as 157 houses and buildings. the majority of which were seized from Japanese and Taiwanese in 1945 and subsequently treated as belonging to the party, not the nation. After Chu announced his candidacy for KMT Chairmanship, however, he claimed not to know what assets are held or what their value might be.


Second term

Chu announced that he would run in the 2021 Kuomintang chairmanship election on 2 August 2021. He finished first of four candidates on 25 September 2021, and took office on 5 October 2021.


2016 Republic of China presidential election


KMT candidate nomination

Though Chu had repeatedly refused to run in the 2016 presidential election, he was chosen to be the preferred candidate over the incumbent
Hung Hsiu-chu Hung Hsiu-chu (; born 7 April 1948) is a Taiwanese politician. As a member of the Kuomintang (KMT), she has served the party as a Deputy Chairperson and Deputy Secretary-General. Hung was first elected to the legislature in 1990, and was the Vi ...
in a KMT congress held at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall on 17 October 2015. KMT members in attendance overwhelmingly voted 812 of 891 to replace Hung with Chu. In a post-election speech, Chu apologized to Hung for her dismissal, but continued by saying the KMT had reached a crucial point where it needed to adjust its pace and start anew. He also apologized to New Taipei residents for breaking his promise to serve as mayor until his term ended. The party's decision to replace Hung had been made prior to the meeting, and Chu had apologized to Hung multiple times for the way the party had treated her.


Presidential campaign

On 19 October 2015, Chu announced his intention to temporarily leave mayoral duties to Deputy Mayor
Hou You-yi Hou Yu-ih (; born 7 June 1957), also romanized Hou You-yi, is a Taiwanese politician. He has served as Director-General of the National Police Agency from 2006 to 2008 and as acting mayor of New Taipei City from October 2015 to January 2016. H ...
starting the next day. Chu planned to take three months of leave, to focus on his presidential campaign. The monthly salary of NT$190,500 Chu would have collected during this time was to be donated to the New Taipei City treasury.


Election result

Chu suffered an enormous defeat in the 2016 presidential election, losing 18 of 23 counties. He resigned the KMT chairmanship, and returned to the New Taipei City mayorship on 18 January 2016.


Family assets

According to a
Control Yuan The Control Yuan is the supervisory and auditory branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Prior to constitutional reforms in the 1990s, the Control Yuan, along with National Assembly (electoral college) and the Legislative ...
report issued in 2014, the four members of Chu's immediate family have combined savings of $23.5 million
New Taiwan dollars The New Taiwan dollar (code: TWD; symbol: NT$, also abbreviated as NT) is the official currency of Taiwan. The New Taiwan dollar has been the currency of Taiwan since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar, at a rate of 40,000 old dollars ...
. Chu also has securities and 11 plots of land in
Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
,
Taoyuan City Taoyuan () is a special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan) located in northwestern Taiwan, neighboring New Taipei City to the north-east, Yilan County, Taiwan, Yilan County to the south-e ...
and
Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" ...
; furthermore, he has three homes in Taipei's
Shilin District Shilin District (also spelled Shihlin District, zh, t=士林區, p=Shìlínqū, poj=Sū-lîm-khu) is a district of Taipei. The central command center of the Republic of China Navy (ROCN) is located in Shilin. History The name ''Shilin'' w ...
and
Neihu District Neihu District is a district of Taipei City, Taiwan. Neihu means "inner lake." The older name originates from the Ketagalan word ''Tayour'' (transliterated by the Dutch as ''Cattajo''), meaning woman's head ornament. Many mountainous roads and ...
that are worth more than $100 million New Taiwan dollars. This same report reveals that from 2012 to 2014, while serving as New Taipei City mayor, his assets grew by NT$7.5 million ($251,200
United States dollar The United States dollar ( symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the officia ...
s).


References


External links

* *
New Taipei Mayor
– ''New Taipei Government Portal'' , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Chu, Eric 1961 births Living people Kuomintang Members of the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan Magistrates of Taoyuan County Mayors of New Taipei Members of the Kuomintang Members of the 4th Legislative Yuan National Taiwan University alumni Politicians of the Republic of China on Taiwan from Taoyuan City New York University Stern School of Business alumni Taoyuan City Members of the Legislative Yuan Kuomintang presidential nominees Chairpersons of the Kuomintang Intelligent Community Forum