Chiang Wan-an

Education

Chiang graduated from Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School,^[11] where he was classmates with Huang Shih-chieh.^[12] Because he ranked at the top of his high school class, he was guaranteed admission to National Chengchi University, where he enrolled to study international relations.^[9] As an undergraduate, he represented the university at the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition and was recognized as an outstanding debater.^[13] In his sophomore year, he began pursuing a dual degree in diplomacy and law. He graduated in 2000 with two bachelor's degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in international studies and a Bachelor of Laws in public international law.^[13][14]

After graduation, Chiang spent a year and a half working as an attorney for Lee and Li, the largest law firm in Taiwan, and became a legislative aide in the National Assembly, where he wrote a petition to legalize flights between Taiwan and mainland China. In 2001, he was named a "young leader of Taiwan" and was introduced to U.S. president Bill Clinton.^[9]

In 2002, Chiang left Taiwan to pursue graduate studies in the United States at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied under law professor Jacques deLisle.^[9] He earned his Master of Laws (LL.M.) in 2004, his Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 2006, and a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.)^[15] from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.^[16] During his time as a law student, he frequently traveled between New York City and Philadelphia,^[17] and was classmates with future legislator Su Chiao-hui.^[18]

First term

On March 29, 2015, Chiang announced his bid to represent Taipei City Constituency 3 as a member of the Kuomintang.^[25] In the party primaries, he ran against KMT legislator Luo Shu-lei, who previously held the constituency seat, and Wang Hung-wei, a KMT member of the Taipei City Council.^[26] After Luo failed to build a minimum lead majority of five percent in the April 2015 party primary, Chiang advanced to a second primary.^[26] On May 20, 2015, Chiang won the party's legislative primary with a majority of 55.376 percent, compared to Luo's 44.624 percent share.^[27]

After winning the KMT nomination for Taipei's third constituency, Chiang ran for the seat in the 2016 legislative election. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) originally nominated Liang Wen-chieh to challenge Chiang in the race, but Liang withdrew; Pan Chien-chih [zh], a psychiatrist and independent candidate, joined the DPP and received the party's nomination to run against Chiang instead.^[28] On election day January 16, 2016, Chiang defeated Pan with a majority of 83,476 votes, compared to Pan's 66,998 share.^[29][30] He announced his victory at 7:40 p.m. that same day.^[31] Chiang's successful campaign to represent the third constituency of Taipei in the 9th Legislative Yuan came in contrast to the results of other KMT lawmakers in the 2016 legislative election, which saw the DPP flip traditionally KMT constituencies to win a clear majority. Chiang attributed the Kuomintang's losses in the elections to "ineffective governance".^[32]

In November 2015, Pan filed a legal motion to invalidate the results of the election, alleging that Chiang used a lottery to bribe voters during his campaign.^[33] On March 23, 2016, the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office concluded that there was insufficient evidence of vote buying, and thus would not press charges against Chiang, though Pan also filed a civil lawsuit to invalidate the election results which were heard in court in April 2016.^[34] In May 2016, the Taipei District Court ruled in favor of Chiang and dismissed Pan's lawsuit. The case ended on December 27, 2016, when the Taipei high court rejected an appeal by Pan to review the dismissal.^[35]

On February 1, 2016, Chiang was sworn in as a member of the 9th Legislative Yuan.^[36] As a legislator, he was a member of the Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee responsible for proposing motions regarding elderly care, child welfare, and food safety.^[37] During his tenure, he became known for his opposition to proposed amendments to the Labor Standards Act [zh] and, during a 2019 protest in the legislature, drew widespread online attention after an image of legislator Chen Yu-jen embracing him during the protest went viral on social media.^[38]

Second term

Chiang ran for re-election in the 2020 Taiwanese legislative election. DPP spokeswoman Lee Yen-jung [zh] was initially considered to contest Chiang's seat in the Taipei third constituency, but she declined the party's nomination.^[39] On August 27, 2019, the DPP nominated former investment banker Enoch Wu to challenge Chiang instead.^[40] The race drew media attention as a "battle of two handsome men," both of whom came from prominent backgrounds and had a strong presence on social media.^[41][42] Chiang's campaign emphasized his grassroots initiatives in Taipei, such as the establishment of citywide legal clinics, while Wu, an advocate of Taiwan independence, campaigned on pro-democracy issues and cross-strait sovereignty.^[43]

On January 11, 2020, Chiang received a majority of 95,559 votes (51.1%)—compared to Wu's 82,453 (45.75%) share—and was re-elected for a second legislative term.^[44] His victory in that year's legislative election made him a leading KMT candidate for the Taipei mayoralty.^[45] He was sworn into the 10th Legislative Yuan on February 1, 2020.^[46] During his second term, Chiang presided over the founding of new legal clinics in Shilin District and Beitou District.^[47] In January 2021, he proposed a legislative amendment expanding compensation to White Terror victims.^[48] According to the South China Morning Post, Chiang was "rated as one of the best and most attentive lawmakers by local political monitoring groups" throughout his tenure in the Legislative Yuan.^[49]