Francisco Ou

**Francisco Ou**
歐鴻鍊
Francisco Ou; 歐鴻鍊
	Ou in 2009
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China
	In office; 20 May 2008 – 10 September 2009
Deputy	Andrew Hsia
Preceded by	James C. F. Huang; Yang Tzu-pao (acting)
Succeeded by	Timothy Yang
Ambassador of the Republic of China to Guatemala
	In office; 1 October 2002 – 1 May 2008
Preceded by	Francisco Lung
Succeeded by	Adolfo Sun
	In office; 1990–1996
Preceded by	Loh I-cheng
Succeeded by	Andrew Wu
Ambassador of the Republic of China to Nicaragua
	In office; 24 August 1984 – 23 December 1985
Preceded by	Mao Chi-hsien
Succeeded by	Yu Chengren
Personal details
Born	5 January 1940; Hsinchu, Taiwan, Empire of Japan
Died	30 October 2021 (aged 81)
Nationality	Republic of China
Alma mater	National Chengchi University
Profession	diplomat

Francisco H.L. Ou (traditional Chinese: 歐鴻鍊; simplified Chinese: 欧鸿链; pinyin: Oū Hóngliàn; 5 January 1940 – 30 October 2021) was a Taiwanese diplomat. He was ambassador of the Republic of China to Nicaragua and Guatemala before serving as foreign minister during the Ma Ying-jeou presidential administration.

Early life

Ou was born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and raised in Hualien. His father was arrested during the February 28 Incident in 1947. He and his family lived in poverty during his younger days. Ou received his BA from National Chengchi University in 1962.

Political career

Upon graduation, he then went on to serve in the government in several diplomatic capacities, mostly with Central and South American nations. He was also the Spanish interpreter for late President Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-Kuo. Ou served as Embassy secretary to Peru (1967–71), ambassador to Nicaragua (1984–85) and Guatemala (1990–96, 2003-8). He has also been director of the Far East Commercial Office in Santiago, Chile (1975-1981), director of the Taiwan Commercial Office in Argentina (1986–90) and representative for the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in Spain (2000–03).

ROC Foreign Ministry

Foreign ministry appointment

Ou had planned to retire after turning 65 and applied for permanent residency (‘green card’) in the United States of America. Although he had not expected to be tapped as Foreign Minister when Ma Ying-jeou formed his new government in 2008, Ou accepted Ma's offer. He immediately gave up his green card upon accepting his new post. His possession of a green card generated minor controversy in Taiwanese circles as many viewed the possession of extra-Taiwan status (citizenship or even a green card) as being unpatriotic. Ou, however, claimed that he was merely planning for his retirement, for most of his family members live in the US, and applied for a green card out of realistic thinking.[1][2][3]

Foreign ministry resignation

Ou resigned from his post effective 10 September 2009, along with outgoing Premier Liu Chao-Shiuan and the rest of the Cabinet in a reshuffling of government, mostly due to the slow government response handling the Typhoon Morakot aftermath. He was replaced by Timothy Yang, formerly the Republic of China's representative to Indonesia.[4]

Personal life

Ou was fluent in Taiwanese, Mandarin Chinese, English, French, and Spanish. He was also an avid table tennis player.

Ou reportedly underwent surgery in August 2021, and was hospitalized before his death on 30 October 2021, aged 81.[5][6]

References

Hsu, Jenny W. (2 July 2008). "Former ministers rally behind Francisco Ou". Taipei Times. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
Shih, Hsiu-Chuan; Hsu, Jenny W. (6 June 2008). "Green cards could be banned for officials". Taipei Times. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
Shih, Hsiu-chuan; Hsu, Jenny W. (5 June 2008). "Ou dismisses questions over loyalty, green card". Taipei Times. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
"New Cabinet unveiled". China Post. 10 September 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
"外交部對前部長歐鴻鍊逝世表達哀悼" (in Chinese). Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
Wang, Cheng-chung; Yeh, Joseph (1 November 2021). "Taiwan's ex-Foreign Minister Francisco Ou passes away at age 81". Central News Agency. Retrieved 2 November 2021. Republished as: "Former foreign affairs minister Ou passes away". Taipei Times. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.

External links

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[1] Hsu, Jenny W. (2 July 2008). "Former ministers rally behind Francisco Ou". Taipei Times. Retrieved 20 June 2016.

[2] Shih, Hsiu-Chuan; Hsu, Jenny W. (6 June 2008). "Green cards could be banned for officials". Taipei Times. Retrieved 20 June 2016.

[3] Shih, Hsiu-chuan; Hsu, Jenny W. (5 June 2008). "Ou dismisses questions over loyalty, green card". Taipei Times. Retrieved 20 June 2016.

[4] "New Cabinet unveiled". China Post. 10 September 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2016.

[5] "外交部對前部長歐鴻鍊逝世表達哀悼" (in Chinese). Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.

[6] Wang, Cheng-chung; Yeh, Joseph (1 November 2021). "Taiwan's ex-Foreign Minister Francisco Ou passes away at age 81". Central News Agency. Retrieved 2 November 2021. Republished as: "Former foreign affairs minister Ou passes away". Taipei Times. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.