TAIWAN PRAYER BREAKFAST DELEGATION HEAD WU LI-PEI:

UNCLAS TAIPEI 000384

SIPDIS

STATE PASS AIT/W

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL TW
SUBJECT: TAIWAN PRAYER BREAKFAST DELEGATION HEAD WU LI-PEI:
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE


1. Wu Li-pei, Senior Advisor in the Office of President Chen
Shui-bian, was born in Changhua County, Taiwan, in 1934. He
earned a B.A. in Economics at the National Taiwan University
(1957) and, after his brother was arrested by the Nationalist
Government, moved to the U.S., where he later earned an
M.B.A. at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas (1969).


2. After completing his M.B.A., Wu moved to Alaska, where he
worked with the National Bank of Alaska, rising to become
Chief Financial Officer. In 1978, he became President of
Alaska National Bank, and in 1982 moved to Los Angeles to
become Chairman and CEO of General Bancorp. In 1990 he was
awarded the Outstanding Entrepreneur Award by the National
Association of Investment Companies.


3. Wu served as Chief of the Overseas Association for Chen
Shui-bian during the Taiwan 2000 presidential campaign, and
was made Senior Advisor to President Chen following the
election. Earlier, in 1985, he had founded the Taiwanese
American Citizen League (TACL),which now has 12 chapters
nationwide. In 2001, he founded the Los-Angeles-based
Formosa Foundation, of which he is Chairman. The Foundation,
he told the "Taipei Times" (August 30, 2002),works to change
the U.S. one-China policy and is intended to complement the
work of other Taiwanese American organizations, such as the
Formosan Association of Public Affairs (FAPA). (Note: The
above information was based on open-source material.)
PAAL