Shen Lyu-shun
Shen Lyu-shun was a Taiwanese diplomat who served at posts in the United States and Europe. He also served in the Department of North American Affairs in the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was best known as serving as the representative of the Republic of China to the United States from 2014 to 2016.
Early life and education
Born on 12 November 1949 in Taipei, Taiwan, Shen was a sixth generation descendant of famous Qing dynasty official Shen Baozhen, and had other relatives who served in Taiwanese diplomatic posts in several countries.Shen graduated from National Chung Hsing University with a Bachelor of Laws in 1972. He then was awarded the KMT's Sun Yat-sen Scholarship and completed advanced studies in international relations in the United States at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Master of Arts in 1979 and his Ph.D. in international relations in 1981.
Early diplomatic career
After receiving his PhD, Shen remained in the United States and served as a staff consultant at the Coordination Council for North American Affairs from 1982 to 1988. In 1988, he joined Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working in the Department of North American Affairs until 1990.Shen then returned to the United States, where he served as Director General at the CCNAA office in Kansas City from 1991 to 1993. He later worked as Divisional Director for the Secretariat and Public Affairs at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States from 1993 to 1996. From 1996 to 1999, he returned to Taiwan and served as Director General in MOFA’s Department of North American Affairs.
Diplomatic career in Europe
Shen served as director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Geneva from 2003 to 2008. During this period, the office filed a lawsuit against the International Organization for Standardization over the ISO 3166-2:CN code, which listed Taiwan as a province of China, and he advocated for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly.From 2008 to 2009, he was Representative to the European Union and Belgium, followed by service as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2009 to 2011. Shen later served as Representative to the United Kingdom from December 2011 to 2014, where he worked on economic cooperation and promoted Taiwan Academy cultural and language programs.
Representative to the United States
Shen was named the ROC representative to the United States in March 2014, and made his first official trip there on 1 April.On 4 December 2014, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of China, Shen donated US$1 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation to fight Ebola virus disease in West Africa. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan also donated medical protective gear, coveralls and surgical masks through a cooperation program with the United States.
On January 1, 2015, the flag of the Republic of China was raised at the historic house Twin Oaks in Washington, D.C., reportedly for the first time since diplomatic relations ended in 1979. Shen attended the ceremony and later said that the United States had not been informed in advance. China protested the incident to the United States, while Shen stated that the flag-raising followed precedent, citing its display during Double Ten Day celebrations in 2014.
Subsequent reports stated that U.S. officials asked President Ma Ying-jeou to replace Shen. Shen submitted his resignation on April 15, 2016, which was approved on May 26, after Tsai Ing-wen took office.
Shen died in New Taipei, Taiwan, on 6 January 2023, at age 73.