Chiang received his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo in 1971. He was Assistant Commercial Attaché at the ROC Embassy in Japan from 1967 to 1974, Commercial Attaché at the ROC Consulate General in Johannesburg from 1974 to 1979, Economic Counsellor at the ROC Embassy in South Africa from 1979 to 1981, Deputy Director-General of the Board of Foreign Trade (BOFT) from 1982 to 1983, Secretary-General of the China External Trade Development Council from 1983 to 1988, and Director-General of the BOFT from 1988 to 1989.
Chiang was born in Nantō District, Taichū Prefecture, Japanese Taiwan. He is married to Mei-Fuey Chen with two sons and one daughter.
Political career
Chiang was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 2001 and was selected vice president of the legislature, a post he held until the Fifth Legislative Yuan adjourned in 2005. Chiang was re-elected to the Legislative Yuan in 2004 but did not take on the vice president post, which went to the KMT's alliance People First Party. There were ongoing negotiations for Chiang to join the cabinet of Premier Frank Hsieh as vice premier, but talks fell apart between the KMT and the administration over Chiang's specific responsibilities for the post.
On 14 March 2007, Chiang became acting chairman of the KMT after Wu Po-hsiung, who had been acting chairman since Ma Ying-jeou's resignation earlier in the year, resigned the acting chairmanship so that he could run for chairman in the upcoming party election.
Straits Exchange Foundation
Following the Kuomintang's landslide win in the presidential election in 2008, Chiang was designated as chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, the semi-official body responsible for negotiation on non-political matters with the People's Republic of China. This made him responsible for the front line negotiations with the PRC government. He stepped down from this position in 2012.
Death
Chiang collapsed at a restaurant on 8 December 2018, and was subsequently sent to hospital.[1][2] He died of multiple organ failure at Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei on 10 December 2018.[3]
