Tsai Ming-yen (diplomat)

Tsai Ming-yen (Chinese: 蔡明彥) is a Taiwanese diplomat and academic who currently serves as the director-general of the National Security Bureau.

Tsai Ming-yen
蔡明彥
Official portrait, 2022
Director-General of the National Security Bureau
Assumed office
31 January 2023
PresidentTsai Ing-wen
Preceded byChen Ming-tong
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
November 2022 – January 2023
MinisterJoseph Wu
Representative of Taiwan to the European Union and Belgium
In office
June 2020 – October 2022
Preceded byTseng Ho-jen
Succeeded byRemus Li-Kuo Chen [zh]
Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Council
In office
June 2017 – June 2020
Secretary-GeneralYen Teh-fa
Personal details
NationalityTaiwanese
Alma materSoochow University
Tamkang University
King's College London

Education and academic career edit

Tsai completed a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Soochow University, followed by a Master of Laws from Tamkang University, and subsequently earned a doctorate in war studies at King's College London.[1][2][3]

In the early 2000s, Tsai was an associate research fellow within the division of strategic and international studies at the Taiwan Research Institute.[4] By 2005, Tsai had been appointed an assistant professor of international politics at National Chung Hsing University.[5] As an academic, Tsai commented on Cross-Strait relations,[5][6] China–United States relations,[7][8][9] Taiwan–United States relations,[10][11][12] and the People's Liberation Army.[13]

Diplomatic career edit

In June 2017, Tsai took office as deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council, alongside secretary-general Yen Teh-fa.[14] While working at the NSC, Tsai Ming-yen traveled as part of the presidential delegation to Eswatini,[15] Paraguay,[16][17] and Haiti.[18] He attended APEC Papua New Guinea 2018 as a member of the delegation representing the Tsai Ing-wen presidential administration.[19] In Taiwan, Tsai Ming-yen commented on a meeting Tsai Ing-wen held with Governor of Colorado Jared Polis in July 2019,[20] and led a May 2020 meeting with United States Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary for North Korea Alex Wong.[21] He was questioned by the Legislative Yuan about the Hong Kong national security law that same month.[22]

Tsai Ming-yen's appointment as Taiwan's representative to the European Union and Belgium was announced in June 2020.[23][24][25] As representative to the EU, Tsai met with European Parliament vice-president Nicola Beer in December 2020,[26] and marked the tenth anniversary of the Schengen visa waiver's application to Taiwan in 2021.[27] In August 2022, Tsai was named deputy foreign minister.[28] Tsai remained at his European post through October 2022,[29][30] and took office as deputy minister by November.[31] As deputy foreign minister, Tsai visited Poland in December 2022 to sign three memorandums of understanding regarding trade and the semiconductor industry.[32] Later that month, he hosted a banquet for Polish politician Anna Fotyga in Taiwan and met with Tony Fernandes, the deputy assistant secretary of the Department of State's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, and the first senior US official to visit Taiwan since US President Joe Biden assumed office.[29][33] In mid-January 2023, Tsai hosted a banquet for the first delegation of Spanish Congress of Deputies members to visit Taiwan since November 2019.[34][35]

On 26 January 2023, Tsai was appointed director-general of the National Security Bureau.[36][37]

References edit

  1. ^ Secretariat (2022-10-11). "Chief Profile: Dr. Ming-Yen Tsai". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Taiwan). Archived from the original on 2022-12-08. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  2. ^ "Tsai Ming-Yen". National Chung Hsing University. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  3. ^ Secretariat (2022-10-11). "主管簡歷 蔡明彥 Dr. Ming-Yen Tsai" [Chief Profile: Dr. Ming-Yen Tsai]. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Taiwan). Archived from the original on 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  4. ^ Tsai, Ming-yen (27 November 2001). "China's military build-up a danger". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  5. ^ a b Shih, Hsiu-chuan (24 July 2005). "Peaceful cross-strait solution unlikely, analysts say". Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Appointments at Chinese think tanks preparation for US policy shift: analysts". Taipei Times. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  7. ^ Wang, Chris (1 November 2013). "Experts say fresh strategies required for Chinese threat". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  8. ^ Lin, Sean (9 April 2017). "Absence from agenda is good: academics". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  9. ^ Lu, Yi-hsuan; Chung, Li-hua; Chin, Jonathan (5 April 2017). "Taiwan not for trade at summit: academics". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  10. ^ Lu, Yi-hsuan (5 December 2016). "Tsai-Trump Phone Call: Call might herald 'new model' in US ties". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  11. ^ Chung, Lawrence (22 January 2017). "With Trump as US president, Taiwan's military exchanges with America tipped to rise: analysts". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  12. ^ Hsu, Stacy (28 May 2016). "PROFILE: Stanley Kao, the veteran diplomat turned US envoy". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  13. ^ Tu, Aaron; Chung, Jake (28 April 2017). "Taiwan could counter Chinese carrier: analysts". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  14. ^ Chung, Li-hua (12 June 2017). "Reshuffle of no benefit to NSC: sources". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  15. ^ Liu, Yu-ching; Hetherington, William (19 April 2018). "Live-fire exercises axed over upkeep work, not Beijing". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Tsai vows to help Honduras promote avocados, coffee". Taipei Times. 17 August 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Taiwan, Paraguay to join on infrastructure projects". Taipei Times. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  18. ^ Yang, Chun-hui; Chin, Jonathan (15 July 2019). "Tsai talks to US officials, Pelosi during NY stopover". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  19. ^ "TSMC's Chang to lead APEC crew". Taipei Times. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  20. ^ "US must stand with Taiwan amid threats: US senator". Taipei Times. 21 July 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  21. ^ "Taiwan complying with NK sanctions, top official tells US". Taipei Times. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  22. ^ Chen, Yu-fu; Xie, Dennis (26 May 2020). "HONG KONG PROTESTS: NSC warns on impact of HK law". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  23. ^ Su, Long-chi; Lim, Emerson (11 June 2020). "President Tsai appoints new EU, UK envoys". Central News Agency. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  24. ^ Yang, Sophia (12 June 2020). "Taiwan's new envoys to EU, UK announced". Taiwan News. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Foreign envoys announced". Taipei Times. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  26. ^ "European politician Nicola Beer says she wants to visit". Taipei Times. 6 December 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  27. ^ Lu, Yi-hsuan; Hetherington, William (11 January 2021). "Taiwan marks 10th year of Schengen visa waiver". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  28. ^ Lin, Sean; Yu, Matt (26 August 2022). "Representative to EU appointed Taiwan's deputy foreign minister". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  29. ^ a b Teng, Pei-ju (15 December 2022). "Ex-Polish Foreign Minister Fotyga arrives in Taiwan for four-day visit". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 January 2023. The statement added that Fotyga would also attend a banquet hosted by Deputy Foreign Minister Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥), who served as Taiwan's representative to the EU and Belgium from July 2020 to October 2022.
  30. ^ Chen, Yun-yun; Kao, Evelyn (28 September 2022). "Taiwan, Poland form working group for cooperation on semiconductors". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 January 2023. The signing was also witnessed virtually by Polish Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Technology Grzegorz Piechowiak and Taiwan's representative to the European Union and Brussels Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥), who is currently on a visit to Poland as the head of a delegation, according to the Taipei office there.
  31. ^ Lin, Sean; Yu, Matt (1 November 2022). "Taiwan-Italy parliamentary exchange group established". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 January 2023. An inauguration ceremony was held at the Legislature Yuan, attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥); Robert Della Sala, deputy representative of the Italian Economic, Commercial and Cultural Promotion Office in Taipei; and Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉).
  32. ^ Chou, Yung-chieh; Lin, Sean (2 December 2022). "Taiwan, Slovakia sign MOUs to boost exchanges on trade, semiconductors". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  33. ^ Hsu, Stacy; Shih, Hsiu-chuan (15 December 2022). "Senior U.S. official in Taiwan to discuss economic issues". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 January 2023. According to the U.S. statement, Fernandes, who is deputy assistant secretary of the Department of State's Bureau of Economic and Business, has already met with Taiwan interlocutors to discuss a range of economic issues of mutual importance...Tony Fernandes is the first senior U.S. official to visit Taiwan since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. They held extensive discussions with Taiwan's Representative to the U.S. Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花), Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥), and other representatives, it added.
  34. ^ Yeh, Joseph (10 January 2023). "Spanish congressional delegation arrives in Taiwan, 1st in 3 years". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 January 2023. During their visit from Jan. 10-14, they will meet with Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) and Vice Premier Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津), and a banquet will be held in their honor by Deputy Foreign Minister Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥), the ministry said...The ministry welcomes the delegation's visit, which is the first by a congressional delegation from the European country since November 2019.
  35. ^ Teng, Pei-ju (13 January 2023). "Spanish lawmaker calls for maintenance of cross-strait status quo". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  36. ^ "Taiwan appoints new, British-educated intelligence chief". Reuters. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  37. ^ Lin, Sean; Liu, Kay (26 January 2023). "Deputy foreign minister Tsai Ming-yen to lead NSB". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 January 2023.