Taiwan deputy trade representative Yen Huai-shing dies aged 53

Taipei, March 24 (CNA) Taiwan's deputy trade representative Yen Huai-shing (顏慧欣) died recently at age 53, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) confirmed on Tuesday.

During an appearance at the Legislature, Cho was asked by Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Chen Hsiu-pao (陳秀寶) about media reports claiming that Yen had died, and confirmed that the "extremely regrettable" news was true.

Cho said he had received Yen's resignation, and after looking into it, learned that she had been suffering health issues for a long time due to stress from her job.

"Even more shocking was that not long after she stepped down, we suddenly received word that she had passed away," Cho said, adding that he sent his "deepest regards" to her family.

Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) later said Yen had made important contributions to Taiwan-U.S. tariff negotiations, before taking leave for "health reasons" last September and submitting her resignation at the beginning of March.

According to the United Daily News, which broke the story, Yen was hospitalized with an unspecified illness at the beginning of the year.

She passed away on March 12, but in accordance with the family's wishes, news of her death was kept quiet until after her memorial service was held on Monday, UDN reported.

Yen, the daughter of former Finance Minister Yen Ching-chang (顏慶章), graduated from Soochow University and later received a master's degree and doctorate in law from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

After returning to Taiwan, she was hired as an associate research fellow by the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research's (CIER) Taiwan WTO and RTA Center, and later served as the center's executive director.

In 2024, Yen was appointed as deputy head of the Executive Yuan's Office of Trade Negotiations, a position that put her -- along with chief trade negotiator Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮) and Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) -- at the center of trade negotiations with the United States.

Yen did not participate in press events after Taiwan and the U.S. signed an MOU in January and the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade on Feb. 12.