Joseph Wu
Wu Jau-shieh, also known by his English name Joseph Wu, is a Taiwanese political scientist and diplomat currently serving as secretary-general of the National Security Council since 2024. He was formerly the foreign minister from 2018 to 2024 and secretary-general to the presidential office of Tsai Ing-wen from 2017 to 2018.
After earning his doctorate from Ohio State University, Wu became a political science professor. From 2007 to 2008, he was Chief Representative of Taiwan to the United States as the head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington, D.C., having been appointed to that position by President Chen Shui-bian to succeed his predecessor, David Lee, who was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. On February 26, 2018, he succeeded Lee in that role as well.
Early life and education
Wu was born in Changhua on October 31, 1954. After graduating from Taichung Municipal First Senior High School, Wu studied political science at National Chengchi University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1978. He then completed graduate studies in the United States, where he earned a Master of Arts in political science from the University of Missouri in 1982 and his Ph.D. in political science from Ohio State University in 1989 with a specialization in comparative politics and international relations.As a graduate student at OSU, Wu worked as a staff researcher at the university's political research laboratory from 1984 to 1988 and as a teaching associate from 1988 to 1989. His doctoral dissertation was titled, "Toward another miracle? Impetuses and obstacles in Taiwan's democratization." His doctoral advisors were professors Bradley Richardson, Richard Gunther, and Chang Hao.
Political career
After receiving his doctorate, Wu was a faculty member in the political science department at Ohio State University and was deputy director of the Institute of International Relations of National Chengchi University in Taiwan.Formerly the Deputy Secretary General of the Presidential Office for President Chen Shui-bian, Wu was appointed the minister of the Mainland Affairs Council, the body charged with coordinating relations with mainland China, by Chen in May 2004.
His appointment as minister 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. His tenure as head of TECRO lasted one year and three months.
In May 2016, Wu joined Tsai Ing-wen's administration as Secretary-General of the National Security Council. Following a brief tenure as Secretary-General to the President from May 2017 to February 2018, he transitioned to the Lai cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He held this post for six years until the end of the Presidency of Tsai Ing-wen in 2024. With the start of the Presidency of Lai Ching-te in May 2024, he returned to his role as Secretary-General of the National Security Council.
Cross-strait relations
On April 11, 2013, the ROC Cabinet approved a bill to establish a Straits Exchange Foundation branch office in mainland China and an Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits office in Taiwan. Wu - who was once the ROC Minister of Mainland Affairs Council - said that for the ARATS office to be established in Taiwan, it would need to have three prerequisites: the office should never evolve to become like the PRC Liaison Office in Hong Kong; the office's mandate must be clearly defined; and the officers must adhere to international diplomatic regulations.In May 2021, he became the first person listed on the “diehard supporters of Taiwan independence” blacklist proposed by the Chinese government.
On November 5, 2021, Wu was sanctioned by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the People's Republic of China as a "diehard "Taiwan independence" separatist" for "fanning up hostility across the Taiwan Strait and maliciously smearing the mainland".
Honors
- 2024 Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon
Publications