Eric Wu
Wu Tung-Sheng | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 14, 1953 Taipei, Taiwan |
| Occupation(s) | Attorney, legal academic, corporate leader, politician |
| Known for | Taiwanese attorney, legal academic, corporate leader, and political figure |
Wu Tung-Sheng (; pinyin: Wú dōngshēng; born 14 July 1953), also referred to as Eric Tung-sheng Wu, is a Taiwanese attorney, legal academic, corporate leader, and political figure.
Early life and education
Originating from Taipei, Taiwan, Wu comes from a distinguished Taiwanese Hakka entrepreneurial family. His parents, Wu Ho-su and Liang Kuei-lan, were the founders of the Shin Kong Group. His older siblings, Thomas and Eugene, have also established themselves as notable businessmen.
Following his graduation from Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School, Wu obtained his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree at National Taiwan University in 1975. He then advanced his studies at Harvard University, earning a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in 1977 and an Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Harvard Business School in 1980. Subsequently, he completed both a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) at Harvard Law School in 1991. During his time there, he was classmates with sinologist William P. Alford, who later became his doctoral mentor.
Early career
Wu gained admission to practice law in New York before returning to Taiwan, where he took on teaching responsibilities at Soochow University and led , a subsidiary under the umbrella of Taishin Financial Holdings. Throughout his tenure in the Legislative Yuan, he continued to hold significant positions within the business sector. In 1995, he founded the Chin Kuang Fu Foundation aimed at conserving the former home of entrepreneur Chiang A-hsin.
Political career
Wu secured election to the second term of the Legislative Yuan representing Hsinchu County as a member of the Kuomintang, serving from 1993 to 1996. He subsequently held office in the third National Assembly between 1996 and 2000. After being expelled from the Kuomintang in 2001 due to accepting a nomination from the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), Wu won a party-list seat in the Legislative Yuan that December. Early in this term, TSU appointed him to the ROC-US Parliamentary Amity Association, through which he participated in diplomatic visits to Russia and Japan.
Drawing on his commercial expertise, Wu frequently addressed topics related to trade, economic strategies, and industrial growth. In 2002, he articulated TSU’s endorsement for a cautious and phased approach to implementing the three links between Taiwan and China under President Chen Shui-bian’s administration. The following year, Wu warned against unrestricted Chinese investments in Taiwan to mitigate potential political and economic threats. During the SARS epidemic of 2003, he contributed to establishing a TSU task force focused on public health and tourism issues.
Wu was also involved in inquiries concerning the 3-19 shooting incident targeting Chen Shui-bian and Annette Lu. In October 2004, he withdrew his name from TSU’s legislative candidate list and opted not to pursue another term. Nearing the conclusion of his legislative service, Wu contemplated attending the second inauguration ceremony of US President George W. Bush.
Later business career
In August 2004, Thomas Wu was appointed chairman of Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation, although their mother favored Eric for the position and requested that Thomas resign. Both Eric and their mother challenged Thomas's appointment, arguing that the board members should be re-elected prior to the chairmanship vote. Amid this dispute, Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) launched investigations into both brothers regarding allegations of insider trading. By November 2004, the disagreement was settled: Thomas relinquished the chairmanship of Shinkong to Eric and assumed the same role at Taishin Financial Holdings, while Eric transferred his proxy voting rights on Taishin’s board to Thomas. The FSC determined there were no illicit profits from insider trading but imposed a NT$2.5 million fine on Taiwan Securities Company for neglecting to obtain final approval on certain share transactions. Following these events, Taishin Financial divested its holdings in Taishin Investment Trust, which Eric chaired.
In subsequent years, Eric Wu pursued diversification strategies, including a December 2005 attempt to acquire Taiwan Television Enterprise and a 2007 bid for Idee Department Store. In 2009, a prosecutor who had collaborated with Wu on a legal aid foundation was impeached on corruption charges.
During Eric Wu’s tenure at Shinkong Synthetic Fibers, the company sought a 4G telecommunications license in 2013. The following year, it increased its investment in a joint venture with Invista and allocated NT$3 billion toward TacBright Optronics Corp, a subsidiary entity. By 2017, Wu aimed to boost growth by expanding production capacity of engineering plastics within Shinkong Synthetic Fibers.