Lien Chan
Lien Chan | |||||||||||||
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連戰 | |||||||||||||
| 7th Vice President of the Republic of China | |||||||||||||
| In office May 20, 1996 – May 20, 2000 | |||||||||||||
| President | Lee Teng-hui | ||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lee Yuan-tsu | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Annette Lu | ||||||||||||
| Premier of the Republic of China | |||||||||||||
| In office February 27, 1993 – August 31, 1997 | |||||||||||||
| President | Lee Teng-hui | ||||||||||||
| Vice Premier | Hsu Li-teh | ||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Hau Pei-tsun | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Vincent Siew | ||||||||||||
| 3rd Chairman of the Kuomintang | |||||||||||||
| In office March 24, 2000 – August 19, 2005 | |||||||||||||
| Deputy | |||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lee Teng-hui | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ma Ying-jeou | ||||||||||||
| Governor of Taiwan Province | |||||||||||||
| In office June 16, 1990 – February 25, 1993 | |||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Chiu Chuang-huan | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | James Soong | ||||||||||||
| 10th Minister of Foreign Affairs | |||||||||||||
| In office July 20, 1988 – June 1, 1990 | |||||||||||||
| Premier | |||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ting Mao-shih | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Fredrick Chien | ||||||||||||
| Vice Premier of the Republic of China | |||||||||||||
| In office May 1, 1987 – July 22, 1988 | |||||||||||||
| Premier | Yu Kuo-hwa | ||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lin Yang-kang | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Shih Chi-yang | ||||||||||||
| 11th Minister of Transportation and Communications | |||||||||||||
| In office December 1, 1981 – April 23, 1987 | |||||||||||||
| Premier | |||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lin Chin-sheng | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Kuo Nan-hung | ||||||||||||
| Chair of National Youth Commission | |||||||||||||
| In office August 1, 1978 – November 30, 1981 | |||||||||||||
| Premier | Sun Yun-suan | ||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Wang Wei-nung | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Kao Ming-hui | ||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||
| Born | August 27, 1936 Xi'an, Shaanxi, Republic of China | ||||||||||||
| Political party | Kuomintang | ||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||
| Children | 4, including Sean Lien and Arlene Lien | ||||||||||||
| Parent |
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| Relatives | Lien Heng (grandfather) Lin Wenyue (cousin) | ||||||||||||
| Education | |||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||
| Chinese | 連戰 | ||||||||||||
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Lien Chan (Chinese: 連戰; born August 27, 1936) is a Taiwanese political scientist and politician. He was the chairman of the Taiwan Provincial Government from 1990 to 1993, premier of the Republic of China from 1993 to 1997, vice president of the Republic of China from 1996 to 2000, and was the chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) from 2000 to 2005, apart from various ministerial posts he had also held.
After graduating from National Taiwan University, Lien earned a master's degree and his PhD from the University of Chicago in the United States. He ran for the President of the Republic of China on behalf of the Kuomintang twice in 2000 and 2004, but both lost to Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party. Upon his retirement as KMT Chairman in August 2005, he was given the title Honorary Chairman of the KMT.
Lien is highly credited after holding a groundbreaking visit to mainland China in his capacity as the Chairman of the Kuomintang to meet with the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Hu Jintao on April 29, 2005, the first meeting between the two party leaders after the end of Chinese Civil War in 1949, which subsequently helped thaw the long-stalled cross-strait relations.