At 11am last Wednesday, the Presidential Office announced that Mainland Affairs Council's (MAC) Department of Information and Liaison Deputy Director James Huang (黃志芳) was appointed as the spokesman of the Presidential Office.
By 3:30pm, a limousine was waiting to take Huang to the Presidential Office. The next morning, Huang took the stage to make his first announcement for the president.
In the statement, Huang said that through a series of introductory activities, including a TV program, he will try to make the Presidential Office a friendly and open place rather than a mysterious one.
Just before the limo took him to the Presidential Office on Wednesday, Huang told the Taipei Times that his role in the administration will be to serve as "a bridge between the president and the public."
Huang said that his new job is challenging and that he enjoys keeping abreast of many different affairs.
But he did concede that news of his appointment came as a surprise and that he took the post "in a rush."
The 44-year-old Huang graduated with a degree in political science from National Taiwan University in 1981. He then passed the civil servants examination in 1984 and then entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the next year.
Huang served in the ministry for 15 years, during which he was in charge of work involving the US Congress and other US-related affairs. Huang later moved to the MAC, where in his two and half years at the council he was known for his fluent English and for keeping a low profile.
Although Huang was surprised by his appointment, a former co-worker, director of the MAC's Department of Information and Liaison, Chen Chan-hung (陳崇弘), was not.
Chen said Huang's fluency in English and "no-complaints" attitude on the job won him the post.
Huang's English ability makes him an ideal choice for the job, as he will be able to act as an interpreter on many important international occasions.
Huang has served as an interpreter for several political heavyweights, including former vice president and current KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Former MAC chairman, and currently a convener at a KMT think tank, Su Chi (
Not only did former KMT government officials appreciate Huang, the DPP government has also come to depend on Huang to bridge the gap between officials and foreign guests.
MAC Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (
Last June, Huang represented MAC as a member of Taiwan's delegation to APEC in Shanghai.
After his appointment was announced, Tsai told reporters that she had to reluctantly let Huang go "because I don't want to limit his career development."
Huang said that in certain respects, civil servants are similar to soldiers in that they should "take orders" without asking why.
"This is an ethic that civil servants must follow," Huang said.
It is that dedication that has kept Huang's career going smoothly.
Although Huang was in the US for six years when working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he nevertheless, spent considerable time keeping abreast of Taiwan-related issues.
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