Taiwan’s New Representative for the Southeast Arrives in Atlanta

A new top representative at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office has arrived in Atlanta and is now plotting out his plans for local impact as Taiwan faces a moment of global uncertainty. 

“This is a critical time,” says Jared (Chu-en) Lin, the new director-general at Taiwan’s longstanding government outpost in Midtown.

He replaces Elliot Yi-lung Wang, who recently departed after a five-year stint in Atlanta that started during the pandemic in 2020.

Taiwan’s economy, a manufacturing powerhouse critical to global supply chains, has slowed, and it faces both tariffs from the U.S. and threats of Chinese encroachment. 

President Trump slapped a 20 percent tariff on Taiwan Aug. 7, noting that the two sides are engaged in ongoing talks to lower the rate. 

Taiwan was hit even after chip giant TSMC, which is building a massive complex in Arizona, said it would up its investment in the U.S. to $165 billion.

Mr. Lin said that the TECRO office in Washington, where he was posted for six years leading up to 2021, will worry about the most pressing (and sensitive) bilateral issues.

Here, meanwhile, he will be focused on building goodwill and fostering substantive engagements across business, trade and culture in the six states his office covers, showcasing Taiwan as a critical economic partner, a bastion of democracy in Asia, and, of course, a great place for tourists to visit. 

Immediately before coming to Atlanta, Mr. Lin was posted at home in Taipei, where he focused on European affairs as deputy director general in that division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That built on his previous overseas appointment: A five-year stint in Brussels from 2006-11. 
During that time he earned a master’s degree in European politics from the University of Leuven in Belgium. 

“What I did with most of my time was fighting,” he said — not bickering with his counterparts, but lobbying for Taiwan’s inclusion in multilateral agencies that have kept it out due to objections from China, which views the self-ruled island as a wayward province. 

Now, those same institutions are facing questions about their own relevance. The World Health Organization, for instance, saw the United States pull out under Mr. Trump. Interpol, where Mr. Lin spent much of his time, has seen its utility questioned as well. 

“That’s ironic: We want to participate in Interpol, but Interpol is losing credibility, and the same thing with WHO,” Mr. Lin said. “We need to see both sides of the coin: At the same time, we want to fight for participation as well as understand the benefit to Taiwan.” 

“This region is full of vitality and opportunity, with thriving communities and emerging industries.”

Teco Atlanta Director General Jared lin

Mr. Lin hasn’t spent any time in the Southeast before and faces a “learning curve” as he takes up the new role. 

But he did previously work for Stanley Kao, Taiwan’s former top representative in the United States, who has a soft spot for Atlanta. Later, Mr. Lin worked for at least two years under former TECRO Representative Bi-Khim Hsiao, who was elected last year as Taiwan’s vice president under President Lai Ching-te. 

Ms. Hsiao visited Atlanta in 2022, like many of her predecessors making a stop at Georgia Tech, which has a thriving alumni network network in Taiwan. 

Mr. Lin said he looks forward to exploring ways to bring the South and Taiwan closer together. 

“This region is full of vitality and opportunity, with thriving communities and emerging industries,” he said in a welcome message on Facebook. “Taiwan has long enjoyed close ties with the region, and I’m ready to take this cordial relationship to the next level.” 

He noted in the interview that he will be traveling throughout the region often, as his territory covers Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Kentucky. 

“That’s what I’m here for.” 

Learn more at the TECO-Atlanta website and see Mr. Lin’s bio here.