US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI1145

C O N F I D E N T I A L TAIPEI 001145 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
DEPT FOR EAP/RSP/TC 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, TW 
SUBJECT: TAIWAN'S NEW GOVERNMENT INFORMATION OFFICE DIRECTOR 
 
Classified By:  ROBERT W. FORDEN, AIT KAOHSIUNG PRINCIPAL OFFICER. 
REASON:  1.4(B/D). 
 
1. (C) Summary:  The appointment of Yao Wen-chi (aka Pasuya 
Yao) to be Taiwan,s new Government Information Office (GIO) 
Director represents another move by Premier Frank Hsieh to 
position his long-time aides in key EY positions.  Yao is a 
long-time AIT/K contact and previously served as Kaohsiung 
City Deputy Secretary General and Director of the Kaohsiung 
City Information Department under then-Mayor Frank Hsieh. 
Serving effectively as Taiwan Government Spokesman, Yao is 
expected to be a close advisor to Premier Hsieh with whom Yao 
has been closely associated since Hsieh,s days as a 
legislator.  End Summary. 
 
2. (C) The appointment of Yao Wen-chi as GIO Director General 
marks the rise of another protege of Premier Hsieh to a key 
Executive Yuan (EY) position, as Hsieh moves to build his 
team in the EY.  Yao,s relationship with Hsieh goes back 
over a decade when Yao served first as a campaign assistant 
and then as Hsieh,s legislative aide from 1994-8.  Prior to 
that Yao had worked five years for Liberty Times as a 
reporter and copy editor.   During his time as Hsieh,s 
legislative aide, Yao also served on Hsieh,s campaign staff 
in Hsieh,s 1996 failed run for Vice President with DPP 
Presidential candidate Peng Ming-min.  In 1998, Yao followed 
Frank Hsieh to Kaohsiung where he helped Hsieh win as 
Kaohsiung Mayor. 
 
3.  (C) Yao served as Director of the Kaohsiung City 
Information Department under Hsieh from 1998-2000 and then 
moved up to serve as Kaohsiung Deputy Secretary General soon 
thereafter.  After Hsieh began to take heat over rumors that 
Yao had been involved in illegal solicitation of funds for 
pet projects of Hsieh and/or had retained some of the funds 
for his personal use, Yao resigned from the City Government 
to &pursue study abroad.8  Frank Hsieh later denounced the 
accusations against Yao asserting that a thorough 
investigation had proven them groundless.  Rather than 
pursuing his studies, however, Yao moved to Taipei and took a 
position as General Manager of the Taiwan Television Culture 
Company, a subsidiary of one Taiwan,s largest television 
networks, TTV. 
 
4.  (C) Born December 4, 1965, in Hsinchu, Yao Wen-chi has an 
M.A. in Political Science from National Cheng Chi University 
and a B.A. in Mass Communications from Fu Jen Catholic 
University.  During Yao,s recent work with Taiwan 
aborigines, he adopted an aboriginal name, &Pasuya8, which 
he now uses as his &English8 name as well.  He is 
considered by many to be attractive and is very tall by 
Taiwan standards ) around six feet tall.  He has a gentle 
and friendly personality that comes across well.  AIT/K 
nominated successfully Yao for AIT,s International Visitor 
program in 2000, but Yao was forced to cancel his program due 
to schedule problems. 
 
5.  (C) Comment:  Yao,s appointment is another in a series 
of moves Premier Hsieh has made and is planning to make to 
position his longtime close advisors into key positions 
within the EY staff.  Yao, a relatively youthful 40 years 
old, is also typical of many of Hsieh,s proteges; Hsieh 
makes a point of cultivating young, well-educated and loyal 
advisors which he places in key positions to ensure effective 
control of the bureaucracy and ensure good information about 
issues emerging in each portfolio.  It was a style that 
served him well in Kaohsiung and which he appears to be 
repeating.  Should Hsieh succeed in what most expect will be 
a run for Taiwan president in four years, many of the same 
young advisors can be expected to rise to even more important 
positions. 
 
FORDEN 
 
PAAL 
PAAL