Jacques deLisle Says Taiwan’s Future is in Good Hands with Promising Penn Carey Law Alumni
He met with several Taiwanese University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School alumni—many of whom have political star power in the country—for his ongoing research. DeLisle, who is also the Director for the Center for the Study of Contemporary China, presented at a conference on China’s influence on Asian law that had significant ties to the Law School.
“Penn Carey Law in Taiwan is pretty formidable,” said deLisle.
During his travels, he met with Wayne Chiang Wan-An LLM’04, L’06, the newly elected mayor of Taipei and great-grandson of Chiang Kai-Shek, longtime leader of Taiwan. The mayoral position is often a steppingstone to the national presidency, deLisle said. Chiang had previously served as a member of the legislature for several years. DeLisle also met Su Chiao-hui LLM’07, SJD’11, whom he called a rising star in Taiwan. She represents Taiwan’s other major political party in the legislature, he said.
Additionally, deLisle met with Puma Shen LLM’07, an Assistant Professor at National Taipei University who, as the chairperson of DoubleThink Lab, has become a prominent activist against Chinese disinformation campaigns.
“Taiwan is a point of friction in U.S.-China relations, and obviously after the (Nancy) Pelosi visit, saw increased military exercises. It’s a shadow that hangs over Taiwan,” deLisle said. “Puma has prominently spoken about civilian lessons to be learned from Ukraine’s invasion and how to prepare for risks.”
The December conference at National Tsing Hua University, titled “Inter-Asian Law Workshop Program,” was co-organized by Matthew Erie L’08, now an Associate Professor of Modern Chinese Studies at Oxford University. The conference involved his current research project “China, Law and Development,” funded by a European Research Council Starting Grant. The project examines China’s approach to building cross-border order through international economic law and the regulatory regimes of developing host states.
Pasha Hsieh LLM’03, LLCM’04, L’06 also presented at the conference. He is a professor at Singapore Management University Yong Pung How School of Law, where he is also the Jean Monnet Chair in EU-ASEAN Law and Relations. Penn professor Teemu Ruskola, who teaches in the East Asian Languages and Civilizations department, presented virtually.
Faculty members in Taiwan whom deLisle also conferred with included Grace Kuan LLM’03, SJD’08, an Assistant Professor at National Taipei University; Chien-Chung Lin LLM ’04, LLCM ’05, SJD’07, professor at the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung Unversity; and Wen-Tsong Chiou LLM’99, LPS’01, who is a research professor at the Institutum Iurisprudentiae of the Academia Sinica and Co-Director of the Institute’s Information Law Center.
Alumnus Ching-Yuan Yeh LLM’02, L’04, SJD’05, who is Managing Partner of Titan Attorneys-at-Law, and several others were instrumental in deLisle’s successful trip.
“Taiwan’s lucky to have so many Penn Carey Law alumni,” deLisle said. “It’s a prominent younger generation in major political parties with bright political futures.”
