Lin Chuan

In this Chinese name, the family name is Lin.

Lin Chuan
林全
File:行政院林全院長.jpg Official portrait, 2016
Senior Advisor to the President
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 September 2017
President	Tsai Ing-wen Lai Ching-te
25th Premier of Taiwan
In office 20 May 2016 – 8 September 2017
President	Tsai Ing-wen
Deputy	Lin Hsi-yao
Preceded by	Chang San-cheng
Succeeded by	Lai Ching-te
21st Minister of Finance
In office 2 December 2002 – 25 January 2006
Prime Minister	Yu Shyi-kun Frank Hsieh
Preceded by	Lee Yung-san
Succeeded by	Joseph Lyu
11th Minister of Budget, Accounting and Statistics
In office 20 May 2000 – 2 December 2002
Prime Minister	Tang Fei
Preceded by	Wei Duan
Succeeded by	Liu San-chi
Personal details
Born	(1951-12-13) 13 December 1951 Zuoying, Kaohsiung County, Taiwan
Party	Independent
Spouse	Wu Pei-ling ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	2 daughters
Education	Fu Jen Catholic University (LLB) National Chengchi University (LLM) University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (MS, PhD)

Lin Chuan (Chinese: 林全; pinyin: Lín Quán; Wade–Giles: Lin² Chʻüan²; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lîm Choân; born 13 December 1951) is a Taiwanese economist, lawyer, and politician who served as the Premier of the Republic of China from 2016 to 2017. He was the first cabinet head under the Tsai Ing-wen government. Before his premiership, he had also served as the Minister of Budget, Accounting and Statistics and Minister of Finance during Chen Shui-bian's presidency.

Early life and education

Lin was born in Kaohsiung to a waishengren family on 13 December 1951. His ancestral home is in Jiangsu and his family had ties with the Kuomintang. He graduated from Fu Jen Catholic University with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) in 1974 and obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from National Chengchi University in 1978. Lin then pursued graduate studies in the United States, earning his Master of Science (M.S.) in 1982 and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1984. His doctoral dissertation, completed under economist Jan Brueckner, was titled, "The Incidence of the Property Tax."

Career

He served as the Minister of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics of the Executive Yuan from 2000 to 2002 and Minister of Finance from 2002 to 2006.

After stepping down as finance minister in 2006, Lin served on the board of multiple companies and led two think tanks. He also served within Taipei City Government as head of the city's finance department.

Following Tsai Ing-wen's victory in the 2016 presidential election, Lin was selected as a co-convener of Tsai's transition team set up to manage the transfer of power from the outgoing Ma Ying-jeou administration. Soon after his appointment to the transition team, Lin became the subject of national media speculation linking him to several government posts within the Tsai administration. In February 2016, Lin was chosen to lead a task force that explored the possibility of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Premiership (2016-2017)

Main article: Lin cabinet

On 15 March 2016, president-elect Tsai Ing-wen named Lin as the premier. He was confirmed by the Legislative Yuan soon after and took office on 20 May 2016. On 4 September 2017 he resigned as premier reportedly to bolster Tsai's declining popularity. Shortly after stepping down, Lin was awarded the Order of Propitious Clouds.

On 15 January 2018, Lin Chuan took over the Chairman of TTY Biopharm Company Limited.

Personal life

Lin married Wu Pei-ling in September 2002 and has two daughters from a previous marriage.