Taipei: Chen Chien-jen, who served as Taiwan’s foreign minister from 1999 to 2000, has died at the age of 86, a source confirmed on Saturday.
According to Focus Taiwan, the source, who requested anonymity, stated that Chen passed away at 10 p.m. on Friday. No further details were provided regarding the circumstances of his death.
Chen Chien-jen was born in Shanghai in 1939 and moved to Taiwan as a child. He graduated from the Department of Diplomacy at National Chengchi University in 1960 and later pursued advanced studies at the University of Cambridge.
In 1967, Chen began his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and held various diplomatic posts, including serving as first secretary in the political section of Taiwan’s embassy in Washington. During former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s administration, when the United States severed diplomatic ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan), Chen was actively involved in negotiations at the U.S. State Department, often accompanying then-Vice Foreign Minister Yang Hsi-kun. He later described this period as the “coldest winter” he had ever experienced in Washington.
After his diplomatic service, Chen served as a lawmaker from 1993 to 1996. He later became the minister of the now-defunct Government Information Office and served as Taiwan’s representative to the U.S. from 2000 to 2004.
Even after his retirement, Chen remained active in the media, frequently giving interviews and offering insights into Taiwan-U.S. relations and the country’s foreign policy decisions.
