Fredrick Chien
Chien Foo, also known by his English name Fredrick Foo Chien, is a Taiwanese diplomat and politician who served as the president of the Control Yuan from 1999 to 2005. After earning his doctorate 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 and family
Chuen was born in Peking's Shou Shan Hospital, a hospital of the Peking Union Medical College, on March 21, 1935. His family's ancestral home was Hangzhou, Zhejiang. 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.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.
Education
In Taiwan, Chien was a student 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 from Yale in 1962. His thesis examined Qing dynasty diplomacy toward Joseon Korea during the late 19th century, covering the period from 1876 to 1885.
Chen was engaged to Julie Tien on September 16, 1961, with Madame Hu Shih presiding over the ceremony in New York. 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. Chien recalled frequently serving as an interpreter for President Chiang Kai-shek and said the experience gave him valuable exposure to international leaders.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 Defense Research Insitute.
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.
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 by Premier Chiang Ching-kuo, succeeding James Wei.In June 1974, Chien opened the 20th Asian Film Festival in Taipei, emphasizing the importance of Asian countries developing their own film industries.
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 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 Arístides 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, which included language on the US's intent to decrease its sale of arms to Taiwan gradually, American Institute in Taiwan 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.