Chen Yunlin

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Chen.

Chen Yunlin 陈云林
President of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 June 2008
Preceded by	Vacant, Wang Daohan (2005)
Personal details
Born	December 1941 Heishan, Liaoning, China
Political party	Communist Party

Chen Yunlin (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.

Biography

Chen was born in 1941 in Heishan, Liaoning. He joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) 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 Yun-lin 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.

Visit to Taiwan

Main article: Chen-Chiang summit

On November 4, 2008, Chen met with his Taiwanese counterpart at the Second Chen-Chiang summit. Chiang Pin-kung, head of Taiwan's SEF. It was the first ever meeting between ARATS and SEF leaders in Taiwan.^[1] The meeting lasted from November 3 to 7 in Taipei Taiwan.^[2] The 5-day visit was the highest level meeting between the KMT and the CPC in six decades.^[3] Another visit to Taiwan soil was followed on December 21, 2009.

This controversial visit triggered an important social movement called the Wild Strawberry student movement.

References

1. ^ Sina "Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou meets ARATS chief" Retrieved on November 9, 2008.
2. ^ China Daily. "SEF releases schedule of mainland delegation's trip to Taiwan" (November 2, 2008) Retrieved on November 9, 2008.
3. ^ Etaiwannews.com. "China envoy arrives amid civilized Taiwanese protests." Retrieved on November 9, 2008.

External links

• Free searchable biography of Chen Yun-lin at China Vitae

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

Persondata
Name	Chen, Yunlin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1941
Place of birth	Heishan, Liaoning, China
Date of death
Place of death