Chiang Chung-ling

Chiang Chung-ling (Chinese: 蔣仲苓; pinyin: Jiǎng Zhònglíng; 21 September 1922 – 18 March 2015) was a Taiwanese army general, former Minister of Defense and Vice Chairman of the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party).^[1]

Chiang Chung-ling
蔣仲苓
Vice Chairman of the Kuomintang
In office 18 June 2000 – 30 March 2003
Chairman	Lien Chan
20th Minister of National Defense of the Republic of China
In office 16 December 1994 – 31 January 1999
President	Lee Teng-hui
Deputy	Chao Chih-yuan Wang Wen-hsieh Wu Shih-wen
Preceded by	Sun Chen
Succeeded by	Tang Fei
17th Commander-in-Chief the Republic of China Army
In office November 1981 – June 1988
President	Chiang Ching-kuo
Preceded by	Hau Pei-tsun
Succeeded by	Huang Hsin-chiang
Personal details
Born	(1922-09-21)September 21, 1922 Yiwu County, Chekiang Province, Republic of China
Died	March 18, 2015(2015-03-18) (aged 92) Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Nationality	Republic of China
Awards	Order of Blue Sky and White Sun
Military service
Allegiance	Republic of China
Branch/service	Republic of China Army
Years of service	1936–1992
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Third Taiwan Strait Crisis

As Minister of Defense, he called for the use of Sky Horse missiles to rival Chinese M-class^{[clarification needed]} missiles.^[2] Also, several high-profile military deaths occurred during his term as Minister of Defense. When being questioned by reporters outside the parliament on September 19, 1995, he replied with a rhetorical question, "哪個地方不死人?" ("Where do people not die?").^[3] His reply caused a sensation and public condemnation, and finally he apologized on September 25, 1995.

After a C-130H military transport plane crashed on October 10, 1997, near Taipei, Chiang Chung-ling resigned as Minister of Defense on October 11 to take responsibility for the crash, in which all five crew members died.^[4]

Death

In 2015, he died at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, aged 92, of heart failure.^[5]