Joseph Wu

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 (B.A.) in 1978. He then completed graduate studies in the United States, where he earned a Master of Arts (M.A.) in political science from the University of Missouri in 1982 and his Ph.D. in political science from Ohio State University (OSU) in 1989 with a specialization in comparative politics and international relations. ==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 (the People's Republic of 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 (SEF) branch office in mainland China and an Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) 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 ==

Articles • Defending Taiwan by Defending Ukraine, Foreign Affairs, May 9, 2024 • Strong US-Taiwanese ties needed to counter rising Chinese influence in the Pacific, The Hill, October 9, 2019 (co-authored with Cory Gardner) ==References==