{{Short description|Taiwanese business executive and politician}} {{For|the American actress|Cynthy Wu}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Cynthia Wu | native_name = {{nobold|吳欣盈}} | native_name_lang = zh-tw | honorific_suffix = MLY | image = 吳欣盈肖像.jpg | office = Member of the Legislative Yuan | term_start = 2 November 2022 | term_end = 31 January 2024 | predecessor = Tsai Pi-ru | successor = | constituency = Party-list | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1978|5|18}} | birth_place = United States | death_date = | death_place = | party = Taiwan People's Party | citizenship = Republic of China<br />United States (1978–2014) | spouse = {{marriage|Tommy Lin|2010|2019|end=div}}<br>{{marriage|Renaud van der Elst|2022}} | children = 1 | relatives = Eugene Wu (father)<br>Hsu Sheng-fa (grandfather)<br>Thomas Wu, Eric Wu, Hsu Yang-ming (uncles)<br>Kuan Bi-ling (aunt) | education = Wellesley College (BA)<br>Courtauld Institute of Art (MA) | caption = Official portrait, 2022 }}
'''Cynthia Wu''' ({{lang-zh|t=吳欣盈|p=Wú Xīnyíng|w=Wu Hsin-ying}};<ref name="ly10"/> born 18 May 1978) is a Taiwanese businesswoman, politician, and former financial analyst.
After attending college in the United States, Wu worked for subsidiaries of Merrill Lynch in the United Kingdom and the Shin Kong Group in Taiwan. She became a member of the Legislative Yuan in 2022 and was <!-- as -->Ko Wen-je's running mate as the vice presidential nominee of the Taiwan People's Party in the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election.
==Early life and education== Cynthia Wu was born in the United States on 18 May 1978, the eldest daughter of Taiwanese businessman Eugene Wu and his wife, Hsu Hsien-hsien.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hsu |first1=Crystal |date=19 August 2014 |title=School system drives up prices of Taipei studios |work=Taipei Times |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2014/08/19/2003597717 |accessdate=8 September 2018}}</ref> Her maternal grandfather, Hsu Sheng-fa, was a prominent banker and politician.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chung |first1=Amber |date=12 May 2007 |title=Cosmos Bank says local and overseas investors secured |work=Taipei Times |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2007/05/12/2003360579 |accessdate=8 September 2018}}</ref> Her uncles Eric Wu and Thomas Wu are also business executives, with the former having previously served in the Legislative Yuan. She has a younger sister, Wu Hsin-ju,<ref>{{cite news |author1=陳瑩欣 |date=3 July 2017 |title=吳欣盈豪爽強勢 吳欣儒低調沉穩 |language=zh-hant |work=Apple Daily |url=https://tw.appledaily.com/finance/daily/20170703/37702637 |url-status=dead |accessdate=8 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019121131/https://www.appledaily.com.tw/finance/20170703/ASCAOJYF3BVKOY22IQPUFFNE34/ |archive-date=2022-10-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=盧冠誠 |date=7 July 2017 |title=二公主接董事 2個女人無戰事 |language=zh |work=Liberty Times |url=http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/focus/paper/1116736 |accessdate=8 September 2018}}</ref> and a younger brother, Wu Yi-tung.<ref>{{cite news |author1=蔡靜紋 |date=18 August 2009 |title=新光少東吳昕東：30歲 再回去接班 |language=zh |work=United Daily News |url=https://theme.udn.com/theme/story/6538/221217 |accessdate=8 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=廖千瑩 |date=28 May 2018 |title=新光三代 吳東賢家族接班最快 |language=zh |work=Liberty Times |url=http://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/paper/1204212 |accessdate=8 September 2018}}</ref>
After graduating from the Taipei American School in 2006, Wu attended Wellesley College, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with in international relations and art history<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flannery |first=Russell |title=Taiwan Billionaire's Daughter Joins High-Stakes Presidential Race As Opposition VP Candidate |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/russellflannery/2023/11/27/taiwan-billionaires-daughter-joins-presidential-race-as-opposition-vp-candidate/ |access-date=2025-11-22 |work=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 26, 2000 |title=One Hundred and Twenty-Second Annual Commencement |url=https://repository.wellesley.edu/node/17833/ocr |archive-url= |access-date=21 November 2025 |publisher=Wellesley College}}</ref> She then earned a Master of Arts from the Courtauld Institute of Art in England.<ref name="ltn2020profile">{{cite news |title=7號 吳欣盈 |url=https://election.ltn.com.tw/2020/legislator/candidates/All/343 |access-date=15 October 2022 |work=Liberty Times |language=zh}}</ref>
== Career == While living in the United Kingdom, Wu worked for Merrill Lynch in London.<ref name="ly10">{{cite news |title=Wu Hsin-ying (10) |url=https://www.ly.gov.tw/EngPages/List.aspx?nodeid=46077 |access-date=21 January 2023 |publisher=Legislative Yuan}}</ref> While residing in the United Kingdom, Cynthia Wu was an assistant to Conservative Party politician Peter Lilley.<ref name="ly10" /> She held dual United States and Taiwanese citizenships, but relinquished her United States citizenship in 2014.<ref name="reg">{{citation |author=Internal Revenue Service |title=Quarterly Publication of Individuals, Who Have Chosen To Expatriate, as Required by Section 6039G |date=5 February 2014 |url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/05/02/2014-10139/quarterly-publication-of-individuals-who-have-chosen-to-expatriate-as-required-by-section-6039g |work=Federal Register}}</ref>
After returning to Taiwan, Wu was an executive at {{ill|Shin Kong Life Insurance|zh|新光人壽}}, a division of the Shin Kong Group, which was founded by her paternal grandfather {{ill|Wu Ho-su|zh|吳火獅}}.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=I-chia |title=2020 Elections: Ko making an 'atomic bomb' to shake politics |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/11/19/2003726121 |access-date=15 October 2022 |work=Taipei Times |date=19 November 2019}}</ref>
Wu was ranked seventh on the Taiwan People's Party list prior to the 2020 Taiwanese legislative election.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=I-chia |title=Jan. 11 Elections: TPP unveils legislator-at-large list with 29 names |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/11/20/2003726181 |access-date=15 October 2022 |work=Taipei Times |date=20 November 2019}}</ref> After the resignation of Tsai Pi-ru, Wu was appointed to the 10th Legislative Yuan on 2 November 2022.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wang |first1=Chien-hao |last2=Hetherington |first2=William |title=TPP's Tsai Pi-ru resigns despite denying plagiarism |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2022/10/15/2003787077 |work=Taipei Times |date=15 October 2022 |access-date=15 October 2022}}</ref>
On 24 November 2023, Taiwan People's Party chairman Ko Wen-je named Wu as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Sean |last1=Lin |title=Election 2024/TPP's Ko registers presidential candidacy, names lawmaker Wu as running mate |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202311240006 |access-date=24 November 2023 |agency=Central News Agency |date=24 November 2023}}</ref> Despite controversy regarding her citizenship, on 4 December, all presidential and vice-presidential candidates were found and declared eligible to run for election, including Cynthia Wu.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202312040019 | title=Election 2024/Three presidential candidate duos all eligible for 2024 election: MOI | author=Chen Chun-hua, Evelyn Kao | date=2023-12-04 | publisher=Focus Taiwan}}</ref>
== Personal life == Cynthia Wu married {{ill|Tommy Lin|zh|林知延}}, an executive at Hua Nan Securities and a descendant of Lin Ben Yuan Family, in 2010.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Huang |first1=Ching-Hsuan |last2=Chang |first2=Hsiang-Yi |date=16 December 2010 |title=The Grand Families of Taiwan |work=CommonWealth |url=https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=923 |accessdate=8 September 2018}}</ref> In September 2013, Wu noticed that Lin, who suspected her of infidelity, had installed a GPS tracking unit in her car, and subsequently filed for divorce.<ref>{{cite news |last1=廖 |first1=千瑩 |date=30 January 2019 |title=王子GPS監控公主今開2審審理庭 吳欣盈：盼公允判決 |language=zh |work=Liberty Times |url=https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/2687779 |access-date=15 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=楊 |first1=國文 |last2=陳 |first2=梅英 |date=9 January 2019 |title=華南王子、新光公主豪門離婚案 高院逆轉判准 |language=zh |work=Liberty Times |url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/society/breakingnews/2666665 |access-date=15 October 2022}}</ref> Lin was acquitted in the first ruling, and the divorce was not granted.<ref>{{cite news |last1=廖 |first1=千瑩 |date=9 January 2019 |title=華南王子、新光公主豪門離婚案 新光金：私領域不回應 |language=zh |work=Liberty Times |url=https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/2666811 |access-date=15 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=廖 |first1=千瑩 |date=30 January 2019 |title=華南王子涉跟蹤新光公主2審開庭 吳欣盈委任律師：回歸法律認定 |language=zh |work=Liberty Times |url=https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/2687776 |access-date=15 October 2022}}</ref> Although a second ruling in 2019 granted the divorce, Wu stated that the decision would deny her the experience of motherhood, as embryos that had been artificially inseminated during her marriage to Lin would be destroyed.<ref>{{cite news |last1=廖 |first1=千瑩 |date=9 January 2022 |title=高院逆轉判離婚 吳欣盈：冰冷判決剝奪我做母親的權利 |language=zh |work=Liberty Times |url=https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/2666889 |access-date=15 October 2022}}</ref>
Wu married Renaud van der Elst, a Belgian baron, in 2022,<ref>{{cite news |author=Louise Vandezande |date=9 September 2023 |title=Mariage à Oostkerke |language=fr |publisher=L'Éventail |url=https://www.eventail.be/gotha/vie-mondaine/mariage-a-oostkerke |access-date=26 November 2023 |quote=...célébré le mariage du baron Renaud van der Elst et de Cynthia Wu...grande réception au château d’Oostkerke, en présence de Sa Majesté la reine Mathilde.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=14 December 2022 |title=Telg uit adellijke familie van der Elst stapt in huwelijksbootje |language=nl |publisher=KW Thuis in West-Vlaanderen |url=https://kw.be/nieuws/samenleving/huwelijk/telg-uit-adellijke-familie-van-der-elst-stapt-in-huwelijksbootje/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=21 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=江欣彥 |title=柯文哲選吳欣盈，真的｢無心贏｣嗎？ |url=https://newtalk.tw/citizen/view/61526 |access-date=2023-12-02 |publisher=Newtalk Taiwan |language=zh-hant |quote=...柯文哲選擇了吳欣盈...比利時的男爵夫人...}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=陷雙重國籍爭議！ 吳欣盈：已放棄美籍12/5見真章 |url=https://news.ebc.net.tw/news/politics/394057 |access-date=2023-12-02 |publisher=EBC News |language=zh-hant |quote=...另外她與比利時貴族雷諾男爵結婚...}}</ref> Their son was born on 9 February 2023.<ref>{{cite news |date=2023-02-09 |title=新光金大公主吳欣盈 今剖腹產誕下男寶寶母子均安 |language=zh |work=udn |url=https://udn.com/news/amp/story/7239/6960333}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{commons category-inline}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Cynthia}} Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:Wellesley College alumni Category:Alumni of the Courtauld Institute of Art Category:Taiwan People's Party Members of the Legislative Yuan Category:21st-century Taiwanese women politicians Category:American emigrants to Taiwan Category:People who renounced United States citizenship Category:American women business executives Category:Taiwanese women business executives Category:Party List Members of the Legislative Yuan Category:Members of the 10th Legislative Yuan Category:Taiwanese expatriates in the United States Category:20th-century Taiwanese businesspeople Category:21st-century Taiwanese businesspeople Category:20th-century American businesswomen Category:21st-century American businesswomen Category:Taiwanese expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:Merrill (company) people Category:21st-century Taiwanese businesswomen Category:20th-century Taiwanese businesswomen