Chiang Ching-kuo (6th - 7th terms)

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Presidents since 1947

Chiang Ching-kuo (6th - 7th terms)

Chiang Ching-kuo (6th - 7th terms)

Years	Introduction
1910	Born in Fenghua, Zhejiang Province.
1927	Graduates from Moscow Sun Yat-sen University.
1937 to 1939	Returns to China from Russia in 1937. Later serves in several posts in Jiangxi Province, such as a security official in January, 1938, an administrative specialist and concurrently a security commander in June, 1939, and then the magistrate of Gan County.
1945-04	Appointed director of the political department of the Chinese Youth Expedition Army's training body.
1945-08	Embarks on a trip to the Soviet Union to participate in the negotiation of a Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance. Appointed as a Ministry of Foreign Affairs special commissioner to deal with matters relating to the resumption of Chinese sovereignty in northeastern China.
1948-08	Goes to Shanghai to serve as a member of a committee that supervises economic activities there.
1949	With the Chinese communists gaining the upper hand in the Chinese civil war, Chiang is assigned to arrange the shipment of the Central Bank of China's store of gold and foreign exchange to Taiwan.
1950-03	Appointed as director of the General Political Department under the Ministry of National Defense, where he undertakes a reform of the nation's political warfare system and establishes the School for Political Warfare Officers. Serves concurrently as director of the information office under the Office of the President, where he supervises the nation's intelligence and security service.
1952-10	Under Chiang's planning, the China Youth Corps is established to educate and promote young people to higher positions. Chiang becomes its first chairperson.
1954	Appointed as deputy secretary-general of the National Defense Council to formulate the nation's defense policy and military buildup.
1956	Appointed Minister of Executive Yuan's Veterans Affairs Commission. Looks after veterans' interests, and personally directs construction of Taiwan's East-West Cross-Island Highway.
1958	Second Taiwan Strait Crisis breaks out. Despite fierce shelling, Chiang visits the island of Kinmen to show concern for the military personnel and civilians there.
1964	Appointed Minister without Portfolio, and holds a concurrent post as Deputy Defense Minister.
1965-01	Promoted to Minister of National Defense.
1969	Becomes Vice Premier and concurrently chairs the Executive Yuan's Council for International Economic Cooperation and Development.
1972-06 to 1978	Appointed Premier in 1972. Under his able leadership, the government undertakes the Ten Major Construction Projects and the Twelve New Development Projects. The success of the projects contributes to this nation's rapid economic development and social stability and prosperity, thus paving the way for the ensuing economic takeoff. In addition, he implements a ten-point administrative reform, promotes a number of young Taiwanese elites to higher government positions, restructures the Legislative Yuan and the National Assembly, and increases the supplementary seats at those bodies. Thanks to his premiership, this nation achieves a series of breakthroughs that come to be known as "the Taiwan experience."
1978-05 to 1988-01	Sworn in as President in May of 1978, and reelected in 1984 to a second term. Expands the Ten Major Construction Projects to accelerate Taiwan's economic growth. Embraces ordinary people, implements localization (i.e. begins emphasizing a Taiwan-centric identity), cultivates Taiwanese elites, undertakes grassroots construction projects, narrows the urban-rural gap, and considerably improves the people's livelihood. With respect to political reform, Chiang launches a series of projects to restructure the parliament and push forward the nation's democratization. These include the lifting of martial law in July of 1987, the ensuing decision to allow the establishment of new newspapers, and the granting of permission to organize new political parties. These changes enable Taiwan to develop a healthy democracy. Furthermore, the government begins allowing Taiwan residents to visit their relatives on the Chinese mainland in November 1987, which turns a new page in relations across the Taiwan Strait.
1988-01-13	Dies of illness.

Personal timeline

　　Sixth term of office

1978-05-20	Sworn in as President.
1978-12-16	Announces emergency measures to cope with severance by US of diplomatic ties with ROC, including: 1. placement of the military on a higher alert status; 2. adoption of stabilization measures by the financial and economic authorities; and 3. suspension of elections currently in progress for national public office.
1979-02-15	Establishes Coordination Council for North American Affairs to conduct ROC-US relations on a new footing.
1979-12-10	Pledges at fourth plenary session of 11th KMT Central Committee that the nation’s political system is based on the Three Principles of the People, that this form of government will continue to be built up still further, and that the ROC will not flag in its efforts to recover the mainland. He also strongly denounces the Chinese Communists’ bad-faith offer to engage in “peace talks” between the two sides.
1981-10-07	Remarks at KMT Central Standing Committee that Taiwan will never negotiate with the Chinese Communists or have contact with the Soviet Union. He also instructs the government to effectively discover, cultivate, and make good use of talented people, and work to keep them in public service.
1983-03-24	Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and Mrs. Lee visit Taiwan.
1983-07-06	Gives instructions after being briefed by Governor of Taiwan Province Lee Teng-hui that the government must attach more importance to grass-roots development, in particular to care for the underprivileged, such as farmers, fishermen, and laborers.
1984-01-04	Executive Yuan's Council for Economic Planning and Development approves project for round-the-island railroad network at cost of NT$24.3 billion.

　　Seventh term of office

1984-05-20	Sworn in as President and announces his guiding principle: putting national interests and people's welfare first.
1985-12-25	Remarks in ceremonies celebrating Constitution Day that the successor of the ROC president will be elected according to the Constitution and his family cannot and will not participate in the election, stressing that the Constitution will never be altered, nor will military government be considered.
1986-03-05	Presides over national security meeting and gives directives to create wealth for the people, better the public's welfare, and focus on the interests of farmers. He also instructs officials to put top priority in the next year's general budget on the Fourteen Infrastructure Initiatives.
1986-10-15	Convenes KMT Central Standing Committee where consensus is achieved regarding two reform issues: 1. enactment of a national security law during the Period of Communist Rebellion; and 2. establishment of new civic entities during the Period of Communist Rebellion.
1987-07-01	Promulgates National Security Law During the Period of Communist Rebellion.
1987-07-14	Announces lifting of martial law effective 00:00 am, July 15 and enforcement of National Security Law During the Period of Communist Rebellion.
1987-09-16	Convenes KMT Central Standing Committee, proposes to organize five-member task force to rapidly work out steps to allow Taiwan residents to visit their relatives on Chinese mainland. He also emphasizes as preconditions of this matter that three principles must remain unchanged: opposition to communism, adherence to the goal of recovering the mainland, and continued maintenance of national security.
1988-01-13	Dies at 03:50 pm

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