Wolfowitz to chair board of US-Taiwan business group
WASHINGTON, May 19 (Reuters) - Paul Wolfowitz, the former U.S. deputy defense secretary and ex-World Bank president, was named on Monday as new chairman of the board of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council.
In a statement on Monday, the council cited Wolfowitz's experience with policy, economics and defense for its choice.
"Dr. Wolfowitz has a history of public service and international scholarship, he has long been an articulate supporter of Taiwan's vibrant democracy, and he is well versed in the complexities of the political, trade, and business relationship between the United States and Taiwan," the council said.
Wolfowitz resigned from the World Bank last June following an ethics scandal over a promotion and pay rise for his companion, who worked at the institution, which prompted a staff rebellion and concerns by member countries.
Since his departure from the World Bank, Wolfowitz, an architect of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, has been a visiting scholar in foreign defense policy studies at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute.
In January, the State Department said he would chair a U.S. advisory panel on arms control.
The council is a non-profit group founded in 1976 to foster trade and business ties between the United States and Taiwan. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Dan Grebler)
