Tsao Chi-hung (Chinese: 曹啟鴻; pinyin: Cáo Qǐhóng; born 1 March 1948) is a Taiwanese politician. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party, he was a member of the National Assembly from 1992 to 1994 and has served two terms each in the Legislative Yuan and as Pingtung County Magistrate. Between 2016 and 2017, Tsao was minister of agriculture.^[1][2]

Quick Facts Minister of the Council of Agriculture, Prime Minister ...

Tsao Chi-hung
曹啟鴻
Minister of the Council of Agriculture
In office 20 May 2016 – 8 February 2017
Prime Minister	Lin Chuan
Deputy	Chen Chi-chung
Preceded by	Chen Chih-ching
Succeeded by	Lin Tsung-hsien
Magistrate of Pingtung County
In office 20 December 2005 – 25 December 2014
Deputy	Chung Chia-pin
Preceded by	Su Jia-chyuan Wu Ying-wen (acting)
Succeeded by	Pan Men-an
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office 1 February 1999 – 31 January 2005
Constituency	Pingtung County
Member of the National Assembly
In office 1992–1994
Personal details
Born	(1948-03-01) 1 March 1948 (age 76) Linbian, Pingtung County, Taiwan
Political party	Democratic Progressive Party
Alma mater	Chinese Culture University National Kaohsiung Normal University

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Born in Linbian Township, Pingtung County, Tsao received his bachelor's degree from Chinese Culture University and his master's degree in education from National Kaohsiung Normal University. He worked as the Director of Academic Affairs at Linbian Junior High School from 1978 to 1994.

Tsao was first elected to political office in 1992 as a member of the National Assembly. In 1994 he was elected as a councillor in the Taiwan Provincial Council, at which point he left his career in education to become a full-time politician. In 1998 Tsao won a seat in the Legislative Yuan representing the Democratic Progressive Party; he was reelected in 2001. In 2004 the Pingtung County magistrate Su Jia-chyuan was appointed Minister of the Interior, leaving the way clear for Tsao to run for county magistrate in 2005. After winning the election in 2005 Tsao was reelected in 2009. He did not stand for reelection in 2014.^[3]

After the DPP's landslide win in the 2016 9-in-1 elections, President Tsai Ing-wen appointed Tsao Agriculture Minister in her first cabinet.^[4] Tsao stepped down from the position in February 2017.^[5]