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Tang Fei
唐飛
唐飛院長.jpg
Official portrait, 2000
Senior Advisor to the President
In office
6 October 2000 – 20 May 2005
President Chen Shui-bian
16th Premier of Taiwan
In office
20 May 2000 – 6 October 2000
President Chen Shui-bian
Vice Premier Yu Shyi-kun
Chang Chun-hsiung
Preceded by Vincent Siew
Succeeded by Chang Chun-hsiung
21st Minister of National Defense
In office
1 February 1999 – 19 May 2000
Premier Hsiao Wan-chang
Vice Minister Wu Shih-wen
Preceded by Chiang Chung-ling
Succeeded by Wu Shih-wen
16th Chief of the General Staff of the ROC Armed Forces
In office
5 March 1998 – 31 January 1999
President Lee Teng-hui
Preceded by Lo Ben-li
Succeeded by Tang Yao-ming
16th Executive Vice Chief of the General Staff of the ROC Armed Forces
In office
1 July 1995 – 4 March 1998
President Lee Teng-hui
Preceded by Lo Ben-li
Succeeded by
    • Yang Te-chih (acting)
    • Xia Ying-chou
12th Commander-in-Chief of the ROC Air Forces
In office
1 September 1992 – 30 June 1995
President Lee Teng-hui
Preceded by Lin Wen-li
Succeeded by Huang Hsien-jung
Personal details
Born 15 March 1932 (1932-03-15) (age 93)
Taicang, Jiangsu, Republic of China
Political party Independent (2000–present)
Other political
affiliations
Kuomintang (1952–2000)
Spouse Chang Ming-tsan
Education Republic of China Air Force Academy (BS)
Military service
Allegiance  Republic of China (Taiwan)
Branch/service  Republic of China Air Force
Years of service 1944–1999
Rank Senior General
Battles/wars Third Taiwan Strait Crisis

Tang Fei (born March 15, 1932) is a well-known politician from Taiwan. He was also a retired general in the Taiwan Air Force. He served as the Prime Minister of Taiwan for a short time in 2000. He worked under President Chen Shui-bian. Even though he was from a different political party, the Kuomintang (KMT), he took the job. He later resigned because he disagreed with some of the government's plans.

Early Life and Education

Tang Fei was born on March 15, 1932. His birthplace was Taicang, Jiangsu, in what was then the Republic of China. He started his military journey at a young age. At 12, he joined the Chinese Air Force Preparatory School. He finished his studies there in 1950.

Air Force Academy Training

After preparatory school, he continued his education. He attended the Republic of China Air Force Academy. He graduated from the academy in 1952. Tang Fei also completed several advanced military courses. These included the Air Force Squadron Officers' Course in 1963. He also studied at the Air Force Command and General Staff College in 1971. His final advanced training was at the War College in 1979.

Military Career

Tang Fei had a long and active career in the military. He held many different roles. He started as a pilot, flying planes from 1953 to 1960. After that, he became an operations officer from 1960 to 1961. He then served as a flight leader from 1961 to 1965. From 1968 to 1970, he was a squadron commander.

Overseas Assignments

Tang Fei also worked in other countries. His first overseas job was in Washington, D.C. He worked at the ROC embassy as an assistant air attaché from 1972 to 1975. When he returned to Taiwan, he held several important roles. He was chief of the operations section of the Third Wing from 1975 to 1976. Later, he became a group commander from 1976 to 1978. He went abroad again from 1979 to 1982. This time, he was an armed forces attaché in South Africa.

Leadership Roles in the Air Force

Back in Taiwan, Tang Fei continued to rise in the ranks. He served as a wing commander from 1983 to 1984. He was also the Air Force deputy chief of staff for planning from 1984 to 1985. In 1985, he was chosen to be the superintendent of the Chinese Air Force Academy. From 1986 to 1989, he was the director of the Air Force's Department of Political Warfare.

Senior General (ROCAF) Tang Fei 空軍一級上將唐飛
Tang Fei as a senior general of the Air Force.

In 1989, he became the commanding general of the Combat Air Command. He then served as vice commander-in-chief of the ROC Air Force from 1989 to 1991. From 1991 to 1992, he was the director of the Department of Inspection for the Ministry of National Defense (MND). He then became the commander-in-chief of the ROC Air Force from 1992 to 1995. After that, he was the vice chief of the general staff (executive) from 1995 to 1998.

Reaching Four-Star General

In 1998, Tang Fei was promoted to a four-star general. He became the chief of the general staff. He was the first military officer to answer questions from lawmakers in the Legislative Yuan. In 1999, he retired from the military. He then took on a civilian role as the Minister of National Defense.

Political Career

Tang Fei was very important in modernizing Taiwan's military. He helped improve military equipment and personnel programs. He also played a key role in creating new laws. These included the National Defense Law and the Organization Law of the Ministry of National Defense. These laws helped reorganize and improve the military's command structure. They gave the Ministry of National Defense more power over the General Staff Headquarters.

Serving as Premier

On March 29, 2000, the newly elected President Chen Shui-bian announced a big decision. He chose Tang Fei to be the new Premier. The Premier is like a prime minister, leading the government's cabinet. Tang Fei served as Premier for about four and a half months. He resigned on October 3, 2000.

Government offices
Preceded by
Lin Wen-li
ROC Air Force Commander-in-Chief
1992–1995
Succeeded by
Huang Hsien-jung
Preceded by
Lo Pen-li
ROC Chief of the General Staff
1998–1999
Succeeded by
Tang Yao-ming
Preceded by
Chiang Chung-ling
ROC Minister of National Defense
1999–2000
Succeeded by
Wu Shih-wen
Preceded by
Vincent Siew
Premier of the Republic of China
2000
Succeeded by
Chang Chun-hsiung
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