Straits Exchange Foundation
Following the Kuomintang's landslide win in the presidential election in 2008, Chiang was designated as chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, the semi-official body responsible for negotiation on non-political matters with the People's Republic of China. This made him responsible for the front line negotiations with the PRC government. He resigned in May 2009 due to health and age reasons. He was 76 years old, and hoped to spend more time with his family. Some newspaper and magazine reported Chiang's family gained more businesses in mainland China from warming ties. He has rejected the quitting as being politically motivated. A few days later President Ma Ying-jeou paid a visit to Chiang to persuade him to stay. He confirmed that he would not retire.
Read more about this topic: Chiang Pin-kung
Famous quotes containing the words straits, exchange and/or foundation:
“Men would never be superstitious, if they could govern all their circumstances by set rules, or if they were always favoured by fortune: but being frequently driven into straits where rules are useless, and being often kept fluctuating pitiably between hope and fear by the uncertainty of fortunes greedily coveted favours, they are consequently for the most part, very prone to credulity.”
—Baruch (Benedict)
“I should like not to exchange any of my life for money.”
—Henry David Thoreau (18171862)
“I believe that the mind can be permanently profaned by the habit of attending to trivial things, so that all our thoughts shall be tinged with triviality. Our very intellect shall be macadamized, as it were,its foundation broken into fragments for the wheels of travel to roll over.”
—Henry David Thoreau (18171862)