31 Facts About Chen Chi-mai

Chen Chi-mai, known as Comay Chen, is a Taiwanese politician and the current mayor of Kaohsiung since August 24,2020.

Chen Chi-mai has served as spokesperson of the Democratic Progressive Party and the chief executive officer of its Policy Research and Coordinating Committee.

In 2005, Chen Chi-mai succeeded to the mayoralty of Kaohsiung after Frank Hsieh's appointment as premier.

Chen Chi-mai became the deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office in 2007 and served until the inauguration of President Ma Ying-jeou.

Chen Chi-mai yielded the vice premiership to Shen Jong-chin in June 2020, and won the Kaohsiung mayoralty in a by-election on August 15,2020 after previous mayor Han Kuo-yu was recalled.

Chen Chi-mai was born in Keelung City, Taiwan, on December 23,1964.

Chen Chi-mai is the son of Chen Che-nan, who is a politician and was a deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office before Chen took office in 2007.

Chen Chi-mai practiced medicine at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital for about three years and became a lecturer at the Taipei Medical University in 1996.

Chen Chi-mai made his early entry into public affairs when he, as a student, served as an assistant to his father, a legislator at the time.

Chen Chi-mai became members of various committees within the Legislative Yuan, including the Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, National Defense, and Transportation Committees.

In 2004, Chen Chi-mai was appointed a Minister without Portfolio and spokesperson of the Executive Yuan.

In January 2005, following the death of former CCP General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, Chen Chi-mai represented the Taiwanese cabinet in delivering a message to the Chinese government.

Later in January 2005, Chen Chi-mai was nominated to serve as acting mayor of Kaohsiung by premier-designate Frank Hsieh.

Chen Chi-mai worked to turn Kaohsiung into a film location hub by encouraging filmmakers to shoot their films in the port city.

Chen Chi-mai offered filmmakers, such as Tsai Ming-liang, various incentives for their award-winning films.

On July 25,2005, Kaohsiung officially became the host city of World Games 2009, which became the largest international sports event hosted in Taiwan, after Chen Chi-mai received the flag of the World Games.

Chen Chi-mai later announced the construction of a world-class stadium built for the event.

Chen Chi-mai apologized to the public for the social turmoil caused by the incident and offered to resign three times.

Chen Chi-mai's appointment drew mixed reactions, with the support from the DPP legislative caucus and opposition from the Kuomintang legislative caucus.

Chen Chi-mai served with Lin Chia-lung, former director of the Government Information Office.

Chen Chi-mai held the position with Cho Jung-tai until 2009.

Chen Chi-mai is concurrently serving as both the spokesperson of the Democratic Progressive Party and the chief executive officer of the party's Policy Research and Coordinating Committee since May 2011.

Chen Chi-mai faced fellow lawmakers Chao Tien-lin, Lin Tai-hua, and Kuan Bi-ling in a Kaohsiung mayoral primary held in March 2018, and was named the Democratic Progressive Party candidate for the mayoralty.

Chen Chi-mai became the first DPP mayoral candidate to lose in the special municipality of Kaohsiung, established in 2010.

Chen Chi-mai's defeat marked the end of 20 years of Democratic Progressive Party governance in the old city area of Kaohsiung, and 33 years of governance in the old Kaohsiung County area.

Chen Chi-mai won by a landslide margin with 70 percent of the votes.

Chen Chi-mai announced on 20 August 2020 that Charles Lin, Shih Che, and Lo Ta-sheng would be joining his administration as deputy mayors, one day before his victory was certified by the Central Election Commission.

On 30 November 2022, Chen Chi-mai assumed the party leadership in an acting capacity.

Chen Chi-mai has proposed using technology including mobile phone data for contact tracing and containment, and is the first author of a paper that describes how passengers of the COVID-19 stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess were traced using mobile phone data, and how their contacts were alerted through text messaging.

Chen Chi-mai is married to Wu Hong who is a doctor and has a son and a daughter.

Chen Chi-mai is a Master Scuba Diver with close to thirty years of experience.