Chiao Jen-he

Jiao Renhe (焦仁和) was born in Zhejiang Province on mainland China; his exact year of birth is unknown. He comes from a family with a legal background—his grandfather studied at the Tianjin Law and Politics School and worked as a lawyer in Shandong. His father served as chief prosecutor and president of the Haining Court in Zhejiang under the Kuomintang government and was transferred to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in January 1949.

Jiao graduated from the College of Law at Chinese Culture University and then went to the United States for further study, earning a doctorate in law. After returning to Taiwan, he taught at Chinese Culture University and entered academic research. He later held senior positions in several departments of the Taiwan authorities, gaining extensive government experience.

From 1993 to 1998, Jiao served as vice chairman and secretary-general of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF). During this period he actively promoted cross-strait exchanges and cooperation. His main work included negotiating with the mainland’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), helping bring about the first official cross-strait meeting—between ARATS chairman Wang Daohan and SEF chairman Koo Chen-fu in Singapore—and the signing of related agreements. Jiao was responsible for implementing the agreements and coordinating with the mainland, becoming a key figure in cross-strait exchanges.

Throughout the development of cross-strait relations, Jiao frequently traveled between Taiwan and the mainland to take part in multi-level consultations and negotiations. Despite facing differing opinions within Taiwan, he persisted in promoting cross-strait exchange and cooperation. In 1994, he held talks in Taiwan with ARATS vice chairman Tang Shubei to discuss specific cross-strait matters. During that time he devoted significant effort to security work to ensure the talks proceeded smoothly.

By the end of 1994, although the two associations had made some progress in their agreements, negotiations were interrupted after the Taiwan authorities advanced a “two-state” position. After that, Jiao gradually withdrew from the political scene and turned to legal and academic work, serving as head of Taiwan’s Sinho International Law Firm and maintaining contacts with the legal community on both sides of the strait to promote legal exchanges.

Besides his political work, Jiao also participated in cultural exchange activities. He visited provinces such as Henan as part of events like “Affection for Central China—Cross-Strait Cultural Exchange Tours,” exploring the roots of Chinese culture. He paid attention to grassroots cross-strait exchanges, emphasized the importance of economic and cultural ties, and advocated strengthening public sentiment and mutual understanding between the people on both sides to advance common interests.

In recent public activities, Jiao has delivered speeches at the Straits Forum emphasizing win-win cooperation and calling on both sides to jointly build markets to achieve cultural integration and economic unification. He has also followed economic development across the mainland, noting that the north-south gap is gradually narrowing and expressing a positive view of development in the Central Plains region.

Currently, Jiao is mainly engaged in legal work and cultural exchanges, continuing to follow cross-strait relations and advocating a path of peace, cooperation, and integration. His career has spanned academia, politics, and law, and he has made notable contributions to promoting cross-strait exchanges.