SEF chairman Chiang Pin-kung resigns

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Source: CCTV.com | 05-06-2009 16:18

Chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation Chiang Pin-kung has submitted his resignation.

Chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange  Foundation Chiang Pin-kung has submitted his  resignation.

Chiang, who turns 77 this December, says he decided to resign due to "age" and "physical strength." He says it's not a sudden decision. He had verbally advised Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou of his desire to quit late last year, but had stayed on.

As the SEF chairman he has held rounds of talks with his counterpart, Chen Yunlin, president of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and signed agreements on weekend charter flights, tourism, direct shipping, air transport, postal services, food safety, boosting cooperation in finance and cracking down on crime.

Chiang, a Ph.D from the University of Tokyo, was designated as chairman of the SEF, a nongovernmental organization dealing with cross-strait affairs, after Ma became the leader of Taiwan in May, 2008.

Editor:Zhang Ning