Chen Chien-jen (born 1939)

Chen Chien-jen
程建人
Official portrait, 1999
2nd Representative of Taiwan to the European Union and Belgium
In office
August 2004 – 3 July 2006
PresidentChen Shui-bian
Preceded byDavid Lee
Succeeded byMichael Kau
8th Representative of Taiwan to the United States
In office
30 June 2000 – 20 May 2004
PresidentChen Shui-bian
DeputyLee Ying-yuan
Shen Lyu-shun
Michael Tsai
Preceded byStephen S.F. Chen
Succeeded byDavid Lee
14th Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
30 November 1999 – 20 May 2000
Prime MinisterVincent Siew
Preceded byJason Hu
Succeeded byTien Hung-mao
15th Minister of the Government Information Office
In office
5 February 1998 – 30 November 1999
Prime MinisterVincent Siew
Preceded byDavid Lee
Succeeded byChao Yi
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office
1 February 1993 – 31 January 1996
ConstituencyParty-list
Personal details
Born(1939-08-11)11 August 1939
Jiading, Jiangsu, China
Died26 September 2025(2025-09-26) (aged 86)
PartyKuomintang
EducationNational Chengchi University (LLB, MA)
University of Cambridge (LLB)

Chen Chien-jen (Chinese: 程建人; pinyin: Chéng Jiànrén; 11 August 1939 – 26 September 2025) was a Taiwanese diplomat and lawyer who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1999 to 2000.

Background

Chen was born in Jiangsu, China, on 11 August 1939. After moving to Taiwan in his childhood during the Great Retreat, Chen graduated from National Chengchi University in 1960 with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and earned a master's degree in international relations from the university in 1962. He then studied law in England, where he earned a second LL.B. in 1965 from the University of Cambridge in international law. In 1966, he was a fellow at the Complutense University of Madrid in Spain.[1]

Chen died on 26 September 2025, at the age of 86.[2][3]

Political career

Chen served in the Legislative Yuan for one term from 1993 to 1996. He was then named the minister of the Government Information Office in 1998. The next year, he was appointed to lead the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Chen planned to retire after stepping down at the end of President Lee Teng-hui's final term in 2000. However, Lee's successor Chen Shui-bian asked Chen Chien-jen to reconsider. Chen eventually chose to accept the post of representative to the United States.[4] He postponed retirement again in 2004 to become the representative to the European Union and Belgium.[5] Chen was succeeded by Michael Kau in July 2006.[6]

During Hung Hsiu-chu's 2016 presidential campaign, Chen was one of her diplomatic advisers.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Who's Who in the ROC" (PDF). Executive Yuan. p. 353. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  2. ^ "前外交部長、駐美代表程建人辭世 享壽86歲". Yahoo! News. 27 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  3. ^ Wu, Shu-wei; Ko, Lin (27 September 2025). "Taiwan's former Foreign Minister Chen Chien-jen dies at 86". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 September 2025. Republished as: "Former top envoy Chen Chien-jen dies at age of 86". Taipei Times. 28 September 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  4. ^ "Outgoing EU envoy Chen Chien-jen happy to be retiring". Taipei Times. 2 April 2006. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  5. ^ Chen, Melody (12 August 2004). "Eugene Chien loses appointment to EU post over scandal". Taipei Times. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Appointees sworn in". Taipei Times. 4 July 2006. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  7. ^ Shih, Hsiu-chuan (23 June 2015). "Hung wants political talks on cross-strait agenda". Taipei Times. Retrieved 19 June 2016.