Wang Wan-yu (; born 26 April 1979), also known by her English name Claire Wang, is a Taiwanese politician. Following the in March 2016, Wang was named to the Presidential Office Organizing Committee for National Conferences on Judicial Reforms. She subsequently joined the

New Power Party The New Power Party (NPP) is a political party in Taiwan formed in early 2015. The party emerged from the Sunflower Student Movement in 2014, and advocates for universal human rights, civil liberties, civil and political freedom, political libe ...

and won a seat on the

Legislative Yuan The Legislative Yuan () is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for four-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a ...

in 2020. Currently, she serves as NPP party chairperson since March 2023.

Early life and education

Wang was born in

Miaoli County Miaoli is a county (Taiwan), county in western Taiwan. Miaoli is bordered by Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City to the north, Taichung to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the west. Miaoli is Regions of Taiwan, classified as "central Taiwan" by t ...

on 26 April 1979. After graduating from

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; zh, t=國立臺灣大學, poj=Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Tāi-ha̍k, p=, s=) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 1928 during Taiwan under J ...

with a bachelor's degree in

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

, she completed graduate studies in the United States at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

(USC), where she earned a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

(M.S.) in

materials science Materials science is an interdisciplinary field of researching and discovering materials. Materials engineering is an engineering field of finding uses for materials in other fields and industries. The intellectual origins of materials sci ...

. Wang initially began doctoral studies at the University of Southern California but later withdrew.

Political career

Claire Wang was ranked third of twelve candidates on the

proportional representation party list. Her bid for public office was endorsed by

Wu Nien-jen Wu Nien-jen (; born ; 5 August 1952) is a Taiwanese screenwriter, director, and writer. He is one of the most prolific and highly regarded scriptwriters in Taiwan and a leading member of the New Taiwanese Cinema, although he has also acted in a n ...

. The New Power Party received over seven percent of the party list vote, and Wang was elected to the Tenth Legislative Yuan. Wang secured three votes in an election for

Vice President of the Legislative Yuan The vice president of the Legislative Yuan ( Chinese: 立法院副院長) is the deputy presiding officer of the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China. The current Vice President is Johnny Chiang, a Kuomintang legislator representing the ei ...

, losing the office to incumbent deputy speaker

Tsai Chi-chang Tsai Chi-chang (; born 16 April 1969) is a Taiwanese politician and member of the Legislative Yuan. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), he was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 2012 and served as deputy speaker from 2016 to 2024 ...

. Wang was elected to the New Power Party's executive council on 29 August 2020, winning the highest vote share. Wang won reelection to the NPP executive committee in February 2023. Wang was subsequently elected to the position of party chair, succeeding Chen Jiau-hua, who had resigned.

Personal life

Both Wang and her husband, David Liu, studied at the University of Southern California, and the couple returned to Taiwan after finishing their studies. Liu began working in technology, and Wang remained home, to care for their four children. In November 2016, Claire Wang was invited to take part in the Presidential Office Organizing Committee for National Conferences on Judicial Reforms. The sixteen other committee members were businesspeople or legal scholars; Wang served as the sole voice for victims of crime. After her election to the

in January 2020, threats against her other children were made online, and she began legal action against the people who made the posts, as well as those who supported the threats.

Wang Ching-yu case and trial

The youngest daughter of Liu and Wang died on 28 March 2016, while traveling with her mother. The child was decapitated by a woman, Wang Ching-yu, as she rode a bicycle along Huanshan Road in

Neihu District Neihu District is a District (Taiwan), district of Taipei, Taipei City, Taiwan. Neihu means "inner lake." The older name originates from the Ketagalan word ''Tayour'' (transliterated by the Dutch as ''Cattajo''), meaning woman's head ornament. ...

on the way to

Xihu metro station The Taipei Metro Xihu station is located in the Neihu District in Taipei, Taiwan. It is a station on Wenhu line and opened on 4 July 2009. Station overview This three-level, elevated station features an island platform, two exits, and a plat ...

. The child became known as Little Light Bulb, a nickname bestowed by her mother, in media coverage of the case. A visitation was held on 31 March 2016, followed by another ceremony on 13 April 2016. After the visitation, Claire Wang received a condolence letter from

Annette Lu Lu Hsiu-lien (; born 7 June 1944), also known by her English name Annette, is a Taiwanese politician and lawyer. A feminist active in the tangwai movement, she joined the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 1990, and was elected to the Legis ...

, and spoke out against the politicalization of her daughter's death with regards to views on

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

. Wang said that she herself "does not support" the death penalty, but also "does not agree" with its abolition. Prosecutors indicted Wang Ching-yu on charges of homicide and sought the death penalty. The Shilin District Court began hearing Wang Ching-yu's case in June 2016. The first ruling on the case was issued on 12 May 2017; the Shilin District Court sentenced Wang Ching-yu to life imprisonment. The Taiwan High Court heard an appeal in July 2018, and upheld the previous ruling. A second appeal in January 2020 retained life imprisonment as a punitive measure. Another appeal to the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

was dismissed on 15 April 2020. The verdict was final, and maintained that Wang Ching-yu was subject to life imprisonment.

Notes

References

{{authority control 1979 births Living people 21st-century Taiwanese women politicians Members of the 10th Legislative Yuan Party List Members of the Legislative Yuan New Power Party Members of the Legislative Yuan Taiwanese expatriates in the United States University of Southern California alumni Politicians of the Republic of China on Taiwan from Miaoli County National Taiwan University alumni