The oft-maligned Su, who was criticized for his handling of the U.S. beef issue, made the announcement at a hastily convened news conference at the Presidential Office.
In his prepared statement, Su said his mission is now complete and it is time to step aside. “Since President Ma Ying-jeou took office May, 20, 2008, we have made enormous strides in cross-strait relations and created the optimum conditions for achieving win-win economic and political exchanges with Beijing.”
After reading his statement, Su declined to take questions from reporters and exited the briefing room.
Following Su’s announcement, Presidential Office spokesman Wang Yu-chi said Ma accepted the NSC secretary-general’s resignation and paid tribute to his outstanding contributions.
“Su’s achievements reached across various fields, including foreign affairs, cross-strait relations and national defense,” Wang said, adding that he played a key role over the past 20 months in improving and promoting Taiwan’s relations with the United States, Japan and mainland China.
According to Wang, Hu Wei-jen, Taiwan’s former representative to Singapore and to Germany, will take over as NSC chief Feb. 23.
Hu, a career diplomat with 35 years experience, has served as director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago; director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Protocol Department; representative to Singapore and to Germany; deputy director-general of the NSC’s National Security Bureau; and deputy secretary-general of the NSC. (JSM)
Write to Chiayi Ho at chiayi@mail.gio.gov.tw