Koo Chen-fu
Encyclopedia
Koo Chen-fu was a Taiwan
ese businessman and diplomat. He led the Koos Group
of companies from 1940 until his death. As a chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation
(SEF), Koo arranged the first direct talks between Taiwan and China since 1949 and served as Taiwan's negotiator in both the 1993 and 1998 Wang-Koo summit
.
died in 1937 while Koo was only a sophomore. Koo graduated in 1940 and pursued a graduate degree in Japan.
Koo was jailed in 1946 for 19 months on treason charges for helping Japanese. After his release, he took refuge in Hong Kong and only returned to Taiwan in 1949 to marry his wife, Cecilia Koo. He focused on running Koos Group
as well as on his political career that led to his elevation to the central committee of Kuomintang
.
Koo became chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation
(SEF) in 1991. On 16 December 1991, a little over ten months after the establishment of the SEF, the authorities of People's Republic of China
(PRC) set up the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits
(ARATS), with Wang Daohan
as its chairman. The following year Koo and Wang held preliminary talks in Hong Kong
that resulted in the so-called "1992 Consensus
" and facilitated negotiations of practical matters. However, the content and the existence of this "1992 consensus" is still widely disputed. In 2001, Koo publicly affirmed that the meeting did not result in a consensus on the issue of "one-China." In April 1993, Koo and Wang met in Singapore to hold the first formal discussions between Taipei and Beijing since 1949. The two met again in Shanghai in 1998. On 18 October 1998, Koo met PRC President Jiang Zemin
in Beijing, in what was then the highest-level talks yet held between the two sides. The talks were called off by Beijing in 1999 after ROC President Lee Teng-hui
proposed his two-states theory.
Koo Chen-fu died of renal cancer on the morning of 3 January 2005 at the age of 87.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese businessman and diplomat. He led the Koos Group
Koos Group
The Koos Group is a Taiwan-based pan-Asian business group involved in a vast range of industries, which include petrochemicals, electronics, cement, manufacturing, financial services and banking. In all, the Koos Group encompasses over 80 companies, with more than 20,000 employees worldwide. The...
of companies from 1940 until his death. As a chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation
Straits Exchange Foundation
The Straits Exchange Foundation is a semi-official organization set up by the Republic of China government to handle technical or business matters with the People's Republic of China...
(SEF), Koo arranged the first direct talks between Taiwan and China since 1949 and served as Taiwan's negotiator in both the 1993 and 1998 Wang-Koo summit
Wang-Koo summit
The Wang-Koo summit was an attempt at a cross-strait meeting that took place in 1993 with some follow up meetings up to 1998 between Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits chairman Wang Daohan and Straits Exchange Foundation charman Koo Chen-fu.-Pre-meeting:In 1992, a year before the...
.
Biography
Born in northern Taiwan into a wealthy family, Koo attended Taihoku Imperial University (now National Taiwan University). He inherited a substantial fortune and a business when his father Koo Hsien-jungKoo Hsien-jung
Koo Hsien-jung was a Taiwanese businessman and politician who enjoyed strong links to the Japanese colonial administration of Taiwan. He founded the Koos Group of companies, the largest business group in Taiwan....
died in 1937 while Koo was only a sophomore. Koo graduated in 1940 and pursued a graduate degree in Japan.
Koo was jailed in 1946 for 19 months on treason charges for helping Japanese. After his release, he took refuge in Hong Kong and only returned to Taiwan in 1949 to marry his wife, Cecilia Koo. He focused on running Koos Group
Koos Group
The Koos Group is a Taiwan-based pan-Asian business group involved in a vast range of industries, which include petrochemicals, electronics, cement, manufacturing, financial services and banking. In all, the Koos Group encompasses over 80 companies, with more than 20,000 employees worldwide. The...
as well as on his political career that led to his elevation to the central committee of Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
.
Koo became chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation
Straits Exchange Foundation
The Straits Exchange Foundation is a semi-official organization set up by the Republic of China government to handle technical or business matters with the People's Republic of China...
(SEF) in 1991. On 16 December 1991, a little over ten months after the establishment of the SEF, the authorities of People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(PRC) set up the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits
Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits
The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits is an organization set up by the People's Republic of China for handling technical or business matters with the Republic of China ....
(ARATS), with Wang Daohan
Wang Daohan
Wang Daohan , was the former president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits .-Biography:...
as its chairman. The following year Koo and Wang held preliminary talks in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
that resulted in the so-called "1992 Consensus
1992 Consensus
The 1992 Consensus or Consensus of 1992 is a term describing the outcome of a meeting in 1992 between the semi-official representatives of the People's Republic of China in mainland China and the Republic of China in Taiwan...
" and facilitated negotiations of practical matters. However, the content and the existence of this "1992 consensus" is still widely disputed. In 2001, Koo publicly affirmed that the meeting did not result in a consensus on the issue of "one-China." In April 1993, Koo and Wang met in Singapore to hold the first formal discussions between Taipei and Beijing since 1949. The two met again in Shanghai in 1998. On 18 October 1998, Koo met PRC President Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005...
in Beijing, in what was then the highest-level talks yet held between the two sides. The talks were called off by Beijing in 1999 after ROC President Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui is a politician of the Republic of China . He was the 7th, 8th, and 9th-term President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He presided over major advancements in democratic reforms including his own re-election which marked the first direct...
proposed his two-states theory.
Koo Chen-fu died of renal cancer on the morning of 3 January 2005 at the age of 87.
External links
- Lindy Yeh. The Koo family: a century in Taiwan. Taipei Times, April 15, 2002.
- Alejandro Reyes. Tycoon and statesman: Koo has excelled in many roles. Asiaweek.com, October 3, 1998.
- Melody Chen. Koo Chen-fu, 88, dies of kidney cancer. Taipei Times, January 4, 2005.
- Joy Su. Koo one of the nation's most important figures. Taipei Times, January 4, 2005.
- Gaps remain between China and Taiwan, BBC News, October 18, 1998. Report on the 1998 talks.