Four years after running in the first direct presidential election, Chen Li-an (
It remains, however, unclear what impact the blue-blooded veteran politician will have on the election. But a look at Chen's pivotal role in Taiwan's politics may offer some clues.
During the 1996 presidential election, Chen and his then running mate, lawyer Wang Ching-feng (
PHOTO: SUNG CHIH-HSIUNG, LIBERTY TIMES
The spiritual tone of campaigning resulted in an impressive election achievement and also turned Chen into something of a moral and spiritual leader among Taiwan's politicians.
But to many middle-aged Taiwanese, especially those with family roots in China, Chen's image is a far cry from the Buddhist practitioner that he and Wang Ching-feng tried to cast themselves as four years ago.
He was a son of Chen Cheng (
Chen earned a PhD in mathematics from New York University and gained extensive experience in government posts. His previous posts were as Control Yuan Speaker, Defense Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs.
While in these posts, he built strong relations with Taiwan's major enterprises, including "the god of business management" Wang Yung-ching (
Wang appointed Chen as headmaster of the Ming-chi Technology College (
And Wang also endorsed Chen during the 1996 election, according to local media reports.
Born into a well-to-do family with a military background (Chen Cheng was a member of Chiang Kai-shek's general staff), Chen had good relations with not only the Chiang family but also other prominent families in Taiwan, including the Lien family.
It has been rumored that Chen's eldest son Chen Yu-ting (
Converting to Buddhism more than 20 years ago brought a major change not only to Chen Li-an but his whole family.
Chen not only changed his image as a "prince" in political circles, but began to use his influence to promote Buddhism.
His Hwa-yu Foundation (
The foundation has long supported the Karma Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism, helping to repair temples in Lhasa and supported the Karmapa Lama, who made a dramatic escape from Tibet to India on Jan. 5 this year.
Chen also became friends with Master Wei Chueh (
Master Wei Chueh yesterday made a remark that was interpreted as a show of support for Lien. Master Hsing Yun four years ago openly supported Chen's bid for president, which, allegedly brought tensions to the master's tight connection with the KMT.
But Chen's remarks on cross-strait relations yesterday made people more curious about his connections with the mainland.
After the 1996 election, Chen announced that he would never run again for a public post. He has since made visits to Nepal, Tibet and China. From 1996 to 1998, Chen visited China at least three times, and met with high officials including Chinese president Jiang Zemin (
"Jiang Zemin's policy is simple: Taiwanese must admit they are Chinese and not resort to separatism. The rest of it is nothing frightful," Chen was quoted as saying in an interview with local media two years ago.
Chen also criticized Lee Teng-hui's "go slow, be patient"(
Apart from close relations with Tibetan Buddhist temples and some officials, Chen has been making efforts in promoting charities in China, especially for the welfare of that country's minorities.
According to Chen, he has been traveling back and forth between Macau in the past two years, negotiating with Chinese scientists to promote charity activities.
Staff from the Hwa-yu Foundation yesterday denied that Chen had spoken to high-ranking Chinese before making his remarks on cross-strait affairs. But after yesterday's statements, Chen has jumped into the campaign not only as a moral leader but as an active participant in cross-strait relations.
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said it expects its 2-nanometer (2nm) chip capacity to grow at a compound annual rate of 70 percent from this year to 2028. The projection comes as five fabs begin volume production of 2-nanometer chips this year — two in Hsinchu and three in Kaohsiung — TSMC senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer Cliff Hou (侯永清) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Silicon Valley, California, last week. Output in the first year of 2-nanometer production, which began in the fourth quarter of last year, is expected to
Taiwan’s drone exports surged past US$100 million in the first quarter, exceeding last year’s full-year total, with the Czech Republic emerging as the largest buyer, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Exports of complete drones reached US$115.85 million in the period, about 1.2 times the total recorded for all of last year, the ministry said in a report. Exports to the Czech Republic accounted for about US$100 million, far outpacing other markets. Poland, last year’s top destination, recorded about US$11.75 million in the first quarter. Taiwan’s drone exports have expanded rapidly in the past few years, with last year’s total
RSS