Lin Yi-fu (; born 15 November 1942) is a Taiwanese politician. A member 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 ...

, he served as Minister of Economic Affairs in the presidential administration of

Chen Shui-bian Chen Shui-bian (; born 12 October 1950) is a retired Taiwanese politician and lawyer who served as the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) whic ...

from 2002 to 2004.

Education and early career

Lin was born in 1942 and earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and statistics from

National Chengchi University National Chengchi University () is a public research university in Taipei. The university is also considered as the earliest public service training facility of the Republic of China. First established in Nanjing in 1927, the university was subs ...

in 1965. The next year, he began working for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and served as trade representative to Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Canada. In 1990, Lin was named deputy director-general of the Board of Foreign Trade. Lin assumed the leadership of the Board of Foreign Trade in 1995, serving two years until his appointment as administrative deputy minister of economic affairs. In 2000, Lin was promoted to the position of political deputy minister within the same ministry.

Later career

Lin took office as Minister of Economic Affairs on 21 March 2002, after the resignation of Christine Tsung. Lin was succeeded by

Ho Mei-yueh Ho Mei-yueh (; born 9 January 1951) is a Taiwanese politician. Education Ho studied agricultural chemistry at National Taiwan University and technology management and business administration at National Chengchi University. Political career Ho ...

in Chen Shui-bian's second term, but accepted an offer to stay on in 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. ...

as minister without portfolio in May. As minister without portfolio, Lin was tasked with reviewing bills and projects related to finance and economics. Lin tendered his resignation from the cabinet in January 2005, and became Taiwan's representative to the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

in May. After taking office, he repeatedly called for the government to increase its participation in WTO initiatives, and for the United States to sign a free trade agreement with Taiwan. During Lin's tenure as Taiwan's WTO representative, the Agency for International Trade Information and Co-operation granted Taiwan observer status for a two-year period, starting in 2007. Lin later became a board member of various Taiwanese companies, including Nan Ya Plastics,

Taishin Financial Holdings Taishin Financial is a financial services company headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Taishin Financial Holdings consists of subsidiaries in the sectors of banking, securities, bills finance, assets management, and venture capital. The company's ...

, and Swissray Global Healthcare.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lin, Yi-fu 1942 births Living people National Chengchi University alumni Kuomintang politicians in Taiwan Taiwanese Ministers of Economic Affairs Politicians of the Republic of China on Taiwan from Taipei