TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Veteran Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politician Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) will join the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) as its vice chair and secretary-general, reports said Friday (May 24).

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) recommended Luo serve as the deputy to new SEF Chair Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦). Cheng, a former vice premier, was nominated to head the semi-official body in charge of dealings with China as part of the personnel changes with the May 20 inauguration of President Lai Ching-te (賴清德).

MAC said Cheng and Luo would form a strong team likely to boost positive developments in cross-strait relations, per CNA. As a body, the SEF manages negotiations, exchanges, and services with China.

Lo, 58, first gained prominence as a spokesperson for the Taipei City Government led by Mayor Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in the mid-1990s. He later served in several DPP and central government functions before running a bookstore.