Shen, 60, is a high-school classmate of President Ma Ying-jeou. He has been accused of illegally over-reporting housing expenses to receive extra government subsidies during a diplomatic stint in Geneva, Switzerland.

Opposition Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Tsai Huang-liang told Shen he was the haughtiest government official he had ever met. Tsai faulted him for using English expressions like “you know,” “OK” and “all right” in his official report and for keeping his hands in his pockets while replying to questions from lawmakers.

Tsai said that with his attitude, it was no wonder Shen had so many enemies at his ministry. “I not only have many enemies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I have enemies in many places,” Shen reportedly replied.

When Tsai asked why Shen had received two sanctions over housing subsidy irregularities if he was innocent, the vice minister shouted at a MOFA department head to come and explain.

He criticized his ministry’s anti-corruption department for sending two officials to Geneva for eight days to investigate his case. Shen then turned his guns on the opposition party, wondering why MOFA officials had never investigated alleged scandals linked to the DPP administration of former President Chen Shui-bian.

Shen also became involved in verbal clashes with legislators from the ruling Kuomintang and in outbursts against other government departments. He told KMT lawmaker Hung Hsiu-chu that while serving in Geneva, he had once sent back four letters from the Department of Health Minister because he thought they just weren’t up to scratch.

After the question-and-answer session, Tsai told reporters that with a vice foreign minister like Shen, he was sweating just thinking about what could happen to Taiwan’s foreign relations.

A DPP colleague, Pan Men-an, said Foreign Minister Timothy Yang held no real power, but Shen was the real man in charge, the “underground foreign minister,” as Pan described him.