Chen Yunlin

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Chen Yunlin (traditional Chinese: 陳雲林; simplified Chinese: 陈云林; pinyin: Chén Yúnlín; born December 1941) is the current chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), the body responsible for negotiations with Taiwan in the People's Republic of China.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Visit to Taiwan 2.1 Background 3 Aftermath 3.1 DPP 3.2 Kuomintang 3.3 Students 3.4 Self-immolation 4 References 5 Internet video 6 External links

[edit] Biography

Chen was born in 1941 in Heishan, Liaoning. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1966. A chemist by training, Chen served in various roles in the government of Heilongjiang province, becoming deputy governor in 1987. In 1994, he was appointed to the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, becoming its head in 1997. In 2008, due to the resumption of talks with Taiwan following the election of Ma Ying-jeou to President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Chen Yunlin became the second head of ARATS.

Though nominally a private body, ARATS is directly led by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. Chen's new office at ARATS is in the same building complex as his old office at the Taiwan Affairs Office. The ARATS is the body directly responsible for negotiating with the Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF), its counterpart in Taiwan, which is correspondingly directly led by the Mainland Affairs Council of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China.

[edit] Visit to Taiwan

[edit] Background

On November 4, 2008, Chen met with his Taiwanese counterpart, Chiang Pin-kung, head of Taiwan's SEF. Together, they signed the 2008 Taiwan-China Cross Straits Economic Pact providing for direct passenger flights across the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait that separates Taiwan from mainland China. In the past, planes had to fly into Hong Kong airspace while traveling between the two sides. At the time, the meeting was one of the highest-level exchanges between officials from mainland China and Taiwan since 1949, when the Kuomintang, the party led by Chiang Kai-shek, lost the Chinese civil war to the Communists and retreated to Taiwan.

Ma Ying-jeou is a member of the Kuomintang.^[1] The historic 5-day visit was the highest level meeting in 6 decades.^[2] Chen was invited by the SEF. It is the first ever meeting between the ARATS and SEF leaders in Taiwan.^[3] The meetings lasted from November 3 to 7.^[4]

Earlier, on October 21, 2008, another Chinese envoy, Zhang Mingqing (張銘清), was pushed to the ground by Taiwan Independence activists in a scuffle in Tainan while visiting Taiwan. ^[5] As a result, Taiwan police decided to mobilize a total of 7,000 officers for Chen's protection.^[2] The 1025 demonstration also occurred on October 25.

The night before the first day meeting, Chen Yunlin was trapped by protesters at the Grand Formosa Regent Taipei hotel, while attending a banquet. Hundreds of protesters surrounded the hotel, chanting, throwing eggs and burning Chinese flags, according to news agencies. The riot police clashed with the protesters, and dozens of people were injured.^[1][6]

On November 3, Chen payed a visit to the wife of Koo Chen-fu, former SEF chairman who died in 2005.^[4] The official talk between leaders of the SEF and ARATS was held in the morning of November 4. Both sides held press conferences.^[4] In a conference at the Taipei Guest House, Ma reiterated his three-point China policy of “no independence,” “no unification” and “no war” across the strait. Ma said Chen signed four agreements with P.K. Chiang, chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), on shortened air routes, direct maritime shipping, better mail service and food safety.^[7]

In the morning of November 4, Chen met Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, attended the opening of two cross-straits seminars and lunched with People First Party chairman James Soong. During the afternoon, he toured the Hsinchu Science Park. Chen Yunlin's final public engagement was a dinner with Kuomintang chairman Wu Poh-hsiung at Taipei's Grand Formosa Regent Hotel. The venue became a magnet for hundreds of protesters.^[8] Ma pointed out, “the Republic of China is an independent, sovereign state which has existed for 97 years. That is the fact nobody can change!"^[9]

President Ma Ying-jeou met with Chen Yunlin at the Taipei Guest House at 11:00 am on November 6, 2008.^[1][10] The meeting between Ma and Chen lasted only five minutes. The two officials exchanged gifts. Chen presented Ma with a painting of a horse (Ma's surname means horse), and Ma gave Chen a piece of fine porcelain.^[1]

Chen offered Nyssaceae seedlings, a rare plant that grows in mainland China only, along with two pandas to Ma. In return Ma offered an indigenous goat naemorhedus swinhoei and a spotted deer as gifts.^[11]

Chen called out Ma as You, avoided addressing Ma as president. Doing so would have implied that the mainland recognizes the legitimacy of the Republic of China. The question of how Chen would address Ma was much discussed by political analysts on both sides.^[1]

On November 7, 2008, Chen and P.K. Chiang participated in a farewell ceremony at the Grand Hotel in Taipei.^[12]

[edit] Aftermath

[edit] DPP

Democratic Progressive Party chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) criticized the government for taking Taiwan back to martial law for the sake of one Chinese visitor.^[8]

[edit] Kuomintang

President Ma Ying-jeou blamed unruly protesters upon poor organization on the part of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party and its chairwoman, Tsai Ing-wen. Ma also accused DPP Secretary-General Wang Tuo on reneging upon his promise of peaceful demonstrations.^[13] Ma calls Tsai's managing of protests as a "road [Tsai] knows little about and a thing she is not good at doing" which yielded "unexpected consequences."^[14] All told, the police department reported 149 of its officers injured during protests.^[15]

[edit] Students

About 400 students, led by assistant professor of sociology at National Taiwan University Lee Ming-tsung (李明璁), started the sit-in in front of the Executive Yuan on November 6 at noon after violent oppression of previous protest by policemen. The students call themselves Wild Strawberry student movement and believe that police, while protecting the safety of Chen and his delegation, acted improperly and that freedom of speech had been suppressed.^[16] The sit-ins now lasting for over a month have three demands

1. An open apology from President Ma Ying-jeou and Premier Liu Chao-shiuan to all citizens
2. The resignation of National Police Agency Director-General Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞) and National Security Bureau Director Tsai Chaoming (蔡朝明)
3. The swift amendment of the Parade and Assembly Law (集會遊行法).^[16]

[edit] Self-immolation

A 80 year-old man, former KMT member, named Liu Bai-yan (劉柏煙) sets himself on fire at Taipei Liberty Square. He suffered from 80% body burns.^[17] His suicide note referred to Chen as follows: "When Chen Yunlin met with the President [Ma Ying-jeou], he pointed his finger at the President, saying "you, you, you". I think, the President looked quite content, smiling a little. Is the President's name "you, you, you"? As a member of Kuomintang, I am embarrassed by this display. If the mainland sends over someone higher, shouldn't the President kneel?"^[18] Liu died on December 14, 2008.^[19]

[edit] References

[edit] Internet video

• Documentary on the visit of communist official Chen Yunlin when Taiwan police pulled down Blue Sky White Sun Flag

[edit] External links

• Free searchable biography of Chen Yunlin at China Vitae
• Taiwan President Ma, China ARATS chair meeting not inappropriate: KMT Central News Agency
• Protesters say measures recall the martial law era
• DPP-incited disturbance condemned in Taiwan (Xinhua) 2008-11-06
• Mr. Chen did not address Mr. Ma as zongtong--president.
• Taiwan DPP Chair leads the "anti-China" rally to besiege the city and Grand Hotel

Political offices
Preceded by Wang Daohan	President of Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits 2008–present	Incumbent