Eric Chu

Eric Li-luan Chu (born on 7 June 1961) is a Taiwanese politician who is currently the chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT).

Chu studied at the National Taiwan University, earning a bachelor's degree in management in 1983.

After completing compulsory military service in the Republic of China Armed Forces, Chu then went abroad to study at New York University in the United States where he completed a master's degree in finance in 1987 and a PhD in accounting in 1991.

After graduation, Chu taught as an assistant professor at City University of New York before returning to teach in Taiwan in 1992.

He initially taught as an associate professor in accounting at National Taiwan University and was promoted to a tenured professor in 1997.

He ran in the Republic of China legislative election held on 5 December 1998, was elected as a Kuomintang legislator, and took office on 1 February 1999.

During his office term, he focused on financial and economic issues of Taiwan.

Born into a political family with strong ties to the Kuomintang, Chu served as a member of the Legislative Yuan from 1999 to 2001, and as the magistrate of Taoyuan County from 2001 to 2009.

In 2000, he was appointed Chairman of the Budgetary Committee and the Finance Committee of the Legislative Yuan.

He served in these positions for one year until 2001.

Chu won the 2001 Taoyuan County Magistrate election held on 1 December 2001 as a member of then-opposition Kuomintang, defeating Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Perng Shaw-jiin.

Chu ran for re-election in the 2005 Republic of China local election on 3 December 2005 and defeated DPP challenger Cheng Pao-ching, CEO of Taiwan Salt Company.

He then took office for his second term as magistrate on 20 December 2005.

During his second term as Magistrate of Taoyuan County, Chu concurrently served as the Vice Chairman of Kuomintang from November 2008 until October 2009.

From 2009 to 2010, he served as the vice premier, under Premier Wu Den-yih.

In March 2009, Magistrate Chu, with other three local government officials, was named by the Intelligent Community Forum as the recipient of its annual Founders Awards for his effort in digital and technology development.

The forum studies the impact of technology on communities.

He resigned his post as Taoyuan County Magistrate when he was named vice premier in 2009.

He was succeeded by Deputy Magistrate Huang Min-kon (黃敏恭) as acting magistrate on 10 September 2009.

Addressing the audience as KMT Vice Chairman during the first Straits Forum in May 2009 held in Xiamen, Fujian, Chu stressed the importance of mindset change in boosting economic development across the strait, choose common development and jointly create a mutual benefit situation for both sides.

Chu was tapped by President Ma Ying-jeou to be the Vice Premier to Wu Den-yih on 7 September 2009, in a reshuffling of the Executive Yuan due to the slow disaster response to Typhoon Morakot.

Chu's position as Magistrate of Taoyuan County was succeeded by Deputy Magistrate Huang Min-kon.

At the age of 48, Chu was the youngest Vice Premier in ROC history.

He was elected as the first mayor of the newly established city of New Taipei on 27 November 2010.

On 13 May 2010, Chu submitted his resignation to Premier Wu to run for mayor of the newly created New Taipei City, the successor of Taipei County.

Financial Supervisory Commission chairperson Sean Chen was tapped to succeed Chu as deputy premier.

In May 2010 before the New Taipei City Mayor election, Chu outlined his vision for the city.

Noting the gap between New Taipei and Taipei, Chu promised to transform New Taipei if he was elected, where completing the mass rapid transit network in New Taipei will be his top priority.

Chu defeated DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen on 27 November 2010, to become the first mayor of New Taipei on 25 December 2010.

According to the Liberty Times, while Chu was serving as magistrate, his grandmother's home in Daxi was designated a historic architectural site; in 2014, after Chu registered to run for chairmanship of the KMT, just prior to the transfer of power to the DPP, the Taoyuan County Government Cultural Affairs Bureau signed contracts of NT$30.17 million (US$1 mil) of public spending to renovate the site.

Chu did not complete his second term.

On 17 January 2015, he was elected unopposed as the chairman of the Kuomintang, succeeding Ma Ying-jeou.

On 17 October 2015, he was chosen as KMT candidate for the 2016 presidential election replacing incumbent candidate Hung Hsiu-chu.

Chu was defeated by his opponent Tsai Ing-wen, and subsequently resigned his post as KMT chairman.

He was succeeded as mayor of New Taipei by Hou Yu-ih in 2018.

As a result of the 2021 Kuomintang chairmanship election, he returned to his former post as chairman of the party.

Chu was born in Bade City, Taoyuan County, Taiwan.

His ancestral home is Yiwu, Zhejiang, and he is the son of a local Taoyuan County politician who served in the local legislature and also in the National Assembly.

Chu's mother is from Daxi Township.

Chu is married to Kao Wan-ching (高婉倩); his father-in-law, Kao Yu-jen, is former speaker of the Taiwan Provincial Assembly, chairman of Twinhead International Corp and founder of FiberLogic Communications.