WTO point-man well equipped

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) officially named former minister of finance Yen Ching-chang (顏慶章) as the nation's chief representative to the WTO last Thursday. But pundits said that Yen was chosen partly because of his strong political connections with DPP heavyweights.

They said Yen is not only an expert on international tariffs, trade and laws, but he has also developed close relationships with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).

"He has always known how to build up appropriate political connections. With that, we have high expectations that he will build up solid relations with key WTO members," former DPP legislator Lin Chung-cheng (林忠正) said.

Yen will assume his post in Geneva later next month after Taiwan's WTO delegation is fully staffed. Deputy representatives from the finance, economic affairs and mainland affairs ministries will also be part of the delegation.

Yen, a 54-year-old veteran politician, served as a customs inspector at Taipei's Sungshan Airport at the age of 23 after he graduated from National Taiwan University's law department in 1971. Five years later Yen was named as the Ministry of Finance's secretariat to then minister Fei Hwa (費驊).

Yen went abroad to study law at the University of Michigan in the US in 1979. Two years later, just before the age of 34, he returned to Taiwan and again worked at the finance ministry as a middle-ranking regulatory official. He then worked on the ministry's taxation system committee for seven years.

On the recommendation of Chiu Hung-dah (丘宏達), a well-known scholar of international law at the University of Maryland, Yen was recruited by former president Lee to work at the Presidential Office in 1991. He was then appointed as vice minister of finance in 1996.

"His background in law has perfected his wording, and his familiarity with financial issues, including taxation and import tariffs, fully qualifies him for the new job," said Yen's former boss, Paul Chiu (邱正雄).

Chiu, a finance minister under the KMT government, said Yen is an active and well-equipped coordinator, who could help the government expand its global market under the WTO framework.

Despite being a KMT party member, Yen has demonstrated great flexibility working for either the KMT or the DPP government. Yen was promoted to head the finance ministry in October of 2000 when his predecessor, Shea Jia-dong (許嘉棟), stepped down for failing to prop up the sagging stock market.