Wang Mei-hua Promoted to Vice Economic Minister, Sparking Nepotism Backlash with Legislator Husband Ku Li-hsiung

On June 30, 2016, Wang Mei-hua, then-Director-General of TIPO, was formally appointed by the Executive Yuan as the Vice Minister of Economic Affairs of the Republic of China. Since her husband, Ku Li-hsiung, was a prominent legislator-at-large for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, the dual high-profile positions held by the couple immediately drew fierce public criticism. Opposition parties and media outlets slammed the appointment as a textbook case of political nepotism and cronyism under the Tsai Ing-wen administration, questioning how a legislator husband could impartially oversee the Ministry of Economic Affairs while his wife served as its vice minister. In response, Ku published a lengthy Facebook post firmly rejecting the 'riding on husband's coattails' allegations, calling them a sexist devaluation of female professional achievements. He emphasized that Wang had risen through the bureaucratic ranks entirely on her own merits over decades and was retained even under the opposition KMT administration. Despite their defense, the couple's subsequent meteoric rise—eventually controlling the National Security Council and the Ministry of Economic Affairs simultaneously—made this 2016 promotion a highly controversial symbol of political favoritism in the Republic of China.