Fredrick Chien

Fredrick F. Chien, or Fred Chien, Chien Foo (; born 21 March 1935), is a retired Taiwanese diplomat and politician who served as the President of the Republic of China Control Yuan from 1999 to 2005. After graduating from Yale University, he assumed a series of governmental positions include Director-General of the Government Information Office from 1972 to 1975, Republic of China Representative to the United States from 1982 to 1988, Chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development from 1988 to 1990, and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1990 to 1996. He was also the Speaker of the National Assembly between 1996 and 1999.

Early life

Chien and his parents originate from Hangzhou, Chekiang. Chien's paternal grandfather, Chien Hong-Yeh, was a Chief Judge of the Criminal Court in Shanghai. Chien's father, Chien Shih-Liang, was a chemist and educator, and the former President of the National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica. Chien's mother was Chang Wan-tu.

He was born in Peking's Shou Shan Hospital, a hospital of the Peking Union Medical College, on March 21, 1935 (February 17 on the lunar calendar). In the fall of 1937, at the age of two, as the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out, his family moved to Shanghai to live with his paternal grandfather. His grandfather was assassinated during the Wang Jingwei regime in July 1940 after refusing to go along with a Japanese attempt to control the court system. After the war ended, his family moved back to Peking, where his father became the chair of Peking University's Chemistry Department at the invitation of President Fu Ssu-nien. With the Chinese Civil War, his family moved to Shanghai in mid-January 1949 and then to Taiwan with the Nationalist Government in mid-February.

In Taiwan, Chien continued his studies at Jianguo High School, where he graduated in 1952. He attended National Taiwan University as an undergraduate, graduating in 1956 with a bachelor's degree with honors in Political Science. During his time at the National Taiwan University, he was elected as the president of the and held the first Model United Nations conference in Taiwan. He also joined the China Youth Corps, where he visited Turkey and Spain in 1955. Chien passed the foreign service examination in 1956.

After completing his conscription, he pursued advanced studies in the United States, first earning an M.A. degree from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1959 and then a Ph.D. in international relations in 1962. He wrote his thesis on Qing Dynasty China's diplomacy in Joseon Dynasty Korea during the opening of Korea, focusing on the period between the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876 until the 1885 Convention of Tientsin.

Chen was engaged to Julie Tien on September 16, 1961, with Madame Hu Shih presiding over the ceremony in New York. Hu Shih was close to the Chien family, having mentored Chien since his time in Peking. On September 22, 1963, the couple were married at Taipei's Armed Forces Officers Club with Wang Yun-wu officiating their marriage.

Early career

Upon returning to Taiwan in 1961, Chien interned at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for three months and subsequently joined the Ministry in early 1962. Within months, he transferred to the Executive Yuan, as a secretary and the English interpreter for Premier and Vice President Chen Cheng. Chien also served as the English secretary and interpreter for President Chiang Kai-shek from 1965 to 1975. Remembering his experience as an aide to President Chiang Kai-shek, Chien once said: "Sometimes I did oral translation four to five times a day. I was lucky to come into contact with the late President and leaders of many other nations. I was greatly enlightened by listening to their conversations."

In 1963, Chien was awarded the 1st Annual Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award of the Republic of China along with other figures such as businessman Wu Yao-ting and politician Peng Ming-min.

Chien was an Executive Officer for the Ministry from 1962 to 1963 and Section Chief of the 1st Section of the Department of North American Affairs from 1964 to March 1967. He served as the Deputy Director-General of the Department from March 1967 to July 1969 and then as Director-General from July 1969 to June 1972. As Director-General in Taipei, he pushed to accelerate congressional liaison work in Washington. He also helped initiated massive invitational programs for senators, members of the House, and Congressional aides to visit Taiwan.

On August 18, 1969, Chien graduated from the 10th class of the .

In September 1971, Chien attended the Twenty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly as an advisor to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of China to the UN.
After the US-sponsored "Important Question Variation" Resolution was defeated by a vote of 55–59, on October 25, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 2758 and recognized the People's Republic of China (PRC) as "the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations."

Two months prior to Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, Chien interpreted for Deputy Premier Chiang Ching-Kuo during a two-hours long conversation with US Ambassador Walter P. McConaughy.

In March 1972, he met with his counterpart, Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs Marshall Green, in Taipei and discussed the after-effects of Nixon's visit to the mainland. During their conversation, the two discussed the meaning of the "normalization" of relations with the mainland. Green claimed that the US would maintain diplomatic ties and the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty with the ROC.

Chien taught at the National Chengchi University as an adjunct associate professor between 1962 and 1964, and as an adjunct professor at National Taiwan University from 1970 to 1972.

Director-General of the Government Information Office

In June 1972, Chien was appointed as the 7th Director-General of the Government Information Office (GIO) by Premier Chiang Ching-kuo, succeeding James Wei.

On June 11, 1974, Chien presided over the opening ceremony of the 20th Asian Film Festival held in Taipei. The festival was attended by nearly 400 performers, directors, and producers. As the masters of ceremonies, Chien proclaimed that " (Asian countries) have no wish to take a back seat in any phase of film-making" and that " shall produce more and better films not only for entertainment but also for education."

As the Director-General of the GIO, Chien hosted the 10th and 11th Golden Bell Awards in 1974 and 1975.

Chien traveled abroad seven times as Director-General, with four trips to the United States, two to Europe, and one to Korea. Floyd Kalber interviewed Chien on NBC's ''Today Show'' on April 16, 1974, and he also appeared on ABC's '' AM America'' on March 14, 1975. On March 18, 1975, Chien delivered an address to a Joint Session of the New Hampshire State Legislature, speaking about the friendship between the two nations and ROC's goal towards economic equality. During his trips, he met with United States Information Agency Director Frank Shakespeare, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Robert S. Ingersoll, former Governor of California Pat Brown, Admiral John S. McCain Jr., and more.

Ting Mao-shih replaced Chien as the Director-General of the Government Information Office in May 1975.

Vice and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

The Cabinet approved Chien's appointment as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs on May 15, 1975, and Chien assumed his new position on May 19.

On February 14, 1978, Chien began an eight-country diplomatic tour to strengthen ties with European nations. The trip included stops in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Italy, the Holy See, and more. During the same trip, he met with the Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky and foreign minister Willibald Pahr.

After President Jimmy Carter's announcement to de-recognize the Republic of China on December 16, 1978, Chien met with US Ambassador Leonard S. Unger and provided six suggestions to the US Government. According to the Chien, the recommendations included: 1) to protect the Chinese residing in the United States; 2) to safeguard our properties in the US; 3) to refrain from lobbying other friendly government to follow the US lead; 4) to secure the validity of treaties and agreements between us; 5) to set up new offices for continuing all kinds of exchanges (we suggested the name should be 'Republic of China Liaison Office in the United States' as proposed by Senator Edward Kennedy earlier); and, 6) to continue supplying us with defensive weapons as required.

On December 27, Chien received the United States delegation led by Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher. During the joint press conference at Taipei Songshan Airport, Chien stated that the de-recognition "disrupted the traditional friendship and harmonious relations between our two countries and has seriously impaired the peace and security of the Asian‐Pacific region." He also declared that "the US government unilaterally yielded to Chinese Communist terms" in severing diplomatic relations and disregarding commitments such as the Mutual Defense Treaty. Recalling the press conference and the statement he made on behalf of the ROC government, Chien said: "That was not my opinion only. I was speaking from the point of view of my country. Though I received warm praise for my speech, my heart was still heavy, since the break in relations seemed to show that all the efforts of diplomats, including myself, had been in vain."

Chien was promoted to the Deputy Foreign Minister position on July 26, 1979, while serving concurrently as the Director-General of the Department of Policy Planning.

In December 1979, Chien visited Thailand and met with Prime Minister Kriangsak Chamanan and discussed the economic outlook and the status of refugees in Thailand.

Deputy Foreign Minister Chien and Mrs. Chien, along with GIO Director-General James Soong, Deputy Director-General of the Bureau of Foreign Trade Vincent Siew, and others accompanied Premier Sun Yun-suan on a two-week tour of three Central American allies – Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic – in August 1980. The delegation met with President Rodrigo Carazo of Costa Rica, President Aristides Royo of Panama, and President Antonio Guzmán of the Dominican Republic.

In early June 1981, Chien made a trip to Singapore and met with Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and discussed issues around regional stability. Chien and Lee remained lifelong friends.

In December, Chien accompanied Premier Sun Yun-suan on a visit to Indonesia and met with Suharto and other key officials.

In 1982, Chien became the first ROC Deputy Foreign Minister to visit Japan after the break of diplomatic relations ten years prior. He met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Kiichi Miyazawa on April 12 and with Foreign Minister Yoshio Sakurauchi on April 13.

Also, in 1982, before the issuance of the Third Communiqué (817 Communiqué), which included language on the US's intent to decrease its sale of arms to Taiwan gradually, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director James R. Lilley personally delivered Ronald Reagan's Six Assurances to Chien. Chien then passed the message on to President Chiang Ching-kuo.

He remained as Deputy Foreign Minister until November 19, 1982, when he was appointed as the ROC Representative to the United States by President Chiang Ching-kuo.

ROC Representative to the United States

From November 1982 to July 1988, Chien served as the Representative (ambassador equivalent) of the Coordination Council for North American Affairs (CCNAA) Office in the United States, ROC's de facto embassy in Washington, D.C. Mr. and Mrs. Chien arrived at their new post on January 7, 1963, and was greeted by the former Congressman & Mrs. Walter Judd at the Washington Dulles International Airport.

Upon arriving at his new post, he "found the new assignment very tough, as there was a lack of trust on both sides," and morale at the office was low. He also had to check in with the State Department on everything he did, such as accepting invitations and giving interviews. Soon afterward, such restrictions were lifted.

According to AIT Chairman , Chien was a brilliant and effective envoy, and his term as the ROC representative "was off to a running start and didn't seem to slow down the entire time he was in Washington." A declassified Central Intelligence Agency memo noted Chien's ability to cultivate relationships with key figures in the US government and private sector and described him as a tough and aggressive diplomat who is "willing to compromise on form in order to obtain a stronger substantive relationship."

Due to the unique status of the ROC, as its representative in the United States, Chien once said: "establishing a long-term friendship requires working at building up good will" and that "all the things in Sino-American relations that are good for us can't be discussed, and the things that are bad are the ones that everyone sees."

Shortly upon arriving at the United States, on January 12, 1983, Chien met with Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Paul Wolfowitz on Secretary George Shultz's forthcoming trip to the mainland. Wolfowitz briefed Chien again on February 16 after the Secretary's visit.

On February 18, only a month and a half after assuming his post, at the introduction of Senator James A. McClure, Chien met with President Ronald Reagan at a Conservative Political Action Conference reception.

On May 19, at the AIT Washington headquarters located in Arlington County, Virginia, Chien met with National Security Advisor William P. Clark Jr., National Security Council's Gaston J. Sigur Jr., and AIT's David Dean. Chien said that arms sales are essential to the confidence of Taiwan's public. Chien also referenced that Taiwan is willing to help the US assist the economic developments in the Central America region and that joint projects with American funds would be undertaken by Taiwanese personnel and technical teams.

On December 1, Mr. and Mrs. Chien were invited by Vice President George H. W. Bush for a welcome dinner at the Alibi Club, where they discussed their studies at Yale University, bilateral relations between the ROC and US, and the effects of high-level visits between the US and mainland China on Taiwan.

Prior to President Regan's April 1984 visit to the mainland, Chien worked with White House Chief of Staff James Baker, NSC's Sigur, and State Department's Wolfowitz to prevent US concessions to China on issues related to Taiwan.

After the death of the Republic of China statesman Wellington Koo at the age of 97, Chien delivered a eulogy for the former Chinese Ambassador to the United States on November 19, 1985, at Manhattan's Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel.

During his tenure, Chien delivered a total of 224 speeches. Chien spoke at the state legislatures of Arizona, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, the US Conference of Mayors, and think tanks such as but not limited to the Council on Foreign Relations, Atlantic Council, and the World Affairs Council. He also toured prestigious universities and gave speeches at Yale, Cornell, Michigan, and Georgetown. In an October 1986 speech at Harvard University titled "The Taiwan Experience Progress – Toward Democracy," Chien spoke about Taiwan's model of development, the processes involved in the success of Taiwan's economic growth, and the benefits of land reform.

In a 1988 interview with the Los Angeles Times's James Mann, Chien said that he personally met with all 100 members of the United States Senate and met with approximately 230 members of the House of Representatives. In the same interview, he also added that " l the meetings (with executive-branch officials) have to be on neutral ground, such as restaurants, hotels and what-not," and " terms of frequency, it's much more frequent now than before 1979." Mann went on to say that "Fredrick Chien may not be an Ambassador, but his understanding of how Washington operated and his influence probably exceeded 98% of all ambassadors in Washington."

When Chien was scheduled to leave his post in 1988, over 50 congressmen and senators gave farewell speeches on the floor and paid tribute to Chien's work as the ROC representative. An honor seldom enjoyed even by departing foreign ambassadors. His farewell reception on August 8 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill was attended by more than 3200 guests from all three branches of government, including but not limited to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Michael Armacost, Attorney General Edwin Meese, Secretary of Commerce William Verity Jr., Secretary of Agriculture Richard Lyng, 17 senators, 48 members of congress, and an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Twin Oaks restoration

When Chien arrived in Washington D.C. in 1983, Twin Oaks, ROC ambassador's former residence, required extensive repairs upon the transfer of the property back to the ROC Government from the Friends of Free China Association a few months prior. Chien and his wife supervised the repair and restoration of the 26-room English Georgian Renaissance-style mansion. The Chiens sourced Chinese calligraphy and paintings through the Director of the National Palace Museum and furniture from the Veterans Affairs Council's associated businesses. Upon its completion, while the mission was no longer the representative's residence, it was used for cultural, economic, and social purposes. After being closed for two thousand plus days and a nine-months restoration, which cost US$500,000, Twin Oaks reopened on September 13, 1984, and held its first social event for Howard University on the following day.

New office building

Early in Chien's tenure as the ROC Representative, he purchased the land of the current office building of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), back then known as CCNAA Office in the United States, on Wisconsin Avenue in Northwest, Washington, D.C. The original office building was located on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., on River Road in Bethesda, Maryland. The new 5-story building broke ground in January 1985 and was completed on November 25 of the following year.

Chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development

Following the death of President Chiang Ching-kuo in 1988, Chien was recalled to Taipei and appointed by President Lee Teng-hui as the Chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development. During his tenure, he served concurrently as a Minister without Portfolio of the Executive Yuan, also known as Minister of State. In 1988, Chien was elected as a member of the Kuomintang Central Standing Committee at the 13th National Congress serving in the role until 1998.

Shirley Kuo, the Minister of Finance and Taiwan's first female cabinet minister, was selected as Chein's replacement as Chairperson of the Council for Economic Planning and Development.

Minister of Foreign Affairs

On June 1, 1990, as part of the new Hau Pei-tsun cabinet, Chien was appointed the Minister of Foreign Affairs replacing Lien Chan. During his tenure as Foreign Minister, he also served a member of the Veterans Affairs Council, Mainland Affairs Council, and Council for Cultural Affairs.

Saudi Arabia became the first diplomatic ally to cease ties with the ROC during Chien's tenure, and it established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic in July 1990.

In January 1991, Mr. and Mrs. Chien traveled to Africa to meet with South Africa's F. W. de Klerk and Swaziland's Mswati III. The Chiens were accompanied by Section Chief David Lin, who would, later on, become the Minister of Foreign Affairs under President Ma Ying-jeou's administration. During a meeting with President de Klerk on January 22, the South African leader assured that his government cherished the special relationship with the ROC and that there was no hidden agenda to develop relations with the mainland. During the visit, Chien and South Africa's Minister of Finance Barend du Plessis signed an agreement for the ROC to provide South Africa's Industrial Development Corporation with a $60 million low-interest loan.

Speaking at the International Conference on the Republic of China and the New International Order on August 21, 1991, Chien said that his country stands beside the freedom-loving nations of the world and is "willing to seize every opportunity to fulfill (her) destiny in a transformed international context." He added that the three prongs of "pragmatic diplomacy" are to consolidate and strengthen existing diplomatic ties, develop and upgrade substantive ties with countries without diplomatic relations, and to participate or resume participation in international organizations and activities according to a more flexible formula.

In a December 1991 essay published in ''Foreign Affairs'', Chien shared Taiwan's model of "pragmatic diplomacy" and also stated that "Taiwan's experience shows that the Chinese people, like any other people, are fully capable of practicing democracy, promoting rapid economic growth ... and living peacefully with their neighbors." Chien also cited Taiwan's growing status in the international community, with its growing economic strength, rapid democratization, and flexible diplomacy.

On June 29, 1992, Chien announced that the ROC resumed diplomatic relations with the African nation of Niger

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases