# Jiang Yi-huah

Jiang Yi-huah (Chinese: 江宜樺; pinyin: Jiāng Yíhuà; born 18 November 1960) is a Taiwanese politician and former Premier of the Republic of China (Taiwan). On 29 November 2014, he tendered his resignation and was succeeded by Mao Chi-kuo on 8 December 2014.
After graduating from National Taiwan University, Jiang earned a Ph.D. at Yale University. Prior to his appointment as the Premier, Jiang was the Vice Premier of the Republic of China from 2012 to 2013. He served as Minister of the Interior from 2009 to 2012 and Minister of Research, Development and Evaluation Commission of the Executive Yuan from 2008 to 2009.

## Early life and education

Jiang was born into a Hakka family in Keelung, a city in northern Taiwan in 1960. During high school, when he was 13, it was reported that he once wrote an essay saying that his dream career was to be the President of the Republic of China once he grew up.
Jiang was educated at National Taiwan University, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree and master's degree in political science in 1983 and 1987, respectively. Jiang then pursued graduate studies in the United States, where he earned a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University in 1993. From 1993 to 1995, he was a fellow at the Sun Yat-sen Institute for Social Sciences and Philosophy of Academia Sinica in Taipei. He then returned to Taiwan to become a professor at NTU.

## Research, Development and Evaluation Commission

Jiang entered politics for the first time in 2008 when he was appointed as the Minister of Research, Development and Evaluation Commission of the Executive Yuan on 20 May 2008.

### Taiwan sex workers decriminalization

During a press conference in June 2009, Jiang said that the Human Rights Protection and Promotion Committee of the Executive Yuan has decided to abolish Article 80 of the Social Order Maintenance Act which regulates sexual transaction that can cause detention or fining of the sex workers. However, the final decision will be left to the local governments.

## Interior Ministry

On 10 September 2009, Jiang was appointed as Minister of the Interior (MOI). At the age of 49, he was the youngest person to ever hold the office. The handing over ceremony from the outgoing Minister Liao Liou-yi was presided by Premier Wu Den-yih in Taipei.

### Uyghur activist ban on visiting Taiwan

Speaking at Legislative Yuan in October 2009, Jiang, accompanied by Premier Wu Den-yih, said that Uyghur activist Rebiya Kadeer should not be permitted to enter Taiwan because her World Uyghur Congress is closely associated with terrorist group. His remark was supported by the Premier.

### Electoral system

In December 2009, Jiang said that officials from Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Justice should ensure justice and fairness in administrative electoral process by avoiding stumping on the candidates. In March 2010, Jiang said that Taiwan will have seven kinds of local elections being held all in one day starting in 2014.

### 1996 Hotline for Interior Affairs

MOI officially launched the "1996 Hotline of Interior Affairs" in November 2011 after three months operation trial. Speaking at the press conference, Jiang said that the MOI is in charge of almost everything in people's daily life, ranging from marriage and birth registration, various social welfare and subsidies provider, petition service, corruption reporting, housing transfer registration and emergency reporting. In order to make their service more efficient and more convenient to people, MOI has merged some of their service hotline into one single number.

## Vice Premiership

Jiang was appointed to become Vice Premier on 6 February 2012. With this, he had to resign from his professorship at NTU.

### Immigration policy

In July 2012, Jiang said that the Executive Yuan is mulling immigration and population policy in order to attract foreign talents, boost human capital and improve Taiwan's competitiveness. He added that policies from various ministries will be integrated so that this regulation change won't affect much to the current local employment.

## Premiership

Jiang was sworn in as the President of the Executive Yuan on 18 February 2013 at the Presidential Office in the ceremony presided over by Vice President Wu Den-yih, thus making him the Premier of the Republic of China. He was the youngest premier since Chen Cheng to take office. After the inauguration, Jiang pledged to push for government reform.
Jiang also wanted to meet with all opposition party leaders in near future upon his inauguration as Premier. He wishes to see a change in political culture and improve communication between the ruling party and opposition parties to have a more effective legislative.

### Politics
#### Detention of Chen Shui-bian

In April 2013, responding to the remark from the DPP legislator, Jiang reaffirmed that the detention of former President Chen Shui-bian in Taipei Prison is not politically motivated, but purely because of his corruption crime.

#### Corruption fight

In early May 2013, Jiang said that he hates corruption and wishes to have all of his Executive Yuan officials free from such involvement. He asked Justice Minister Tseng Yung-fu to look into any unsuitable officials for their position. He requested not only the heads of government to maintain their own integrity, but also all of the other officials working under them. The move came after several corruption cases involving Cabinet Secretary-General Lin Yi-shih and Kuomintang Taipei City Councilor Lai Su-ju.