Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良) is trying to make a comeback on the political stage by running for the legislature. But he's fighting for his legislative seat in the toughest constituency in Taipei City.
Hsu registered in the southern district of the city and will compete with 29 other candidates for only eight available legislative seats. Two seats are promised to female candidates.
Political heavyweights such as the DPP's Duan Yi-kang (段宜康), Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)'s Apollo Chen (陳學聖), Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆), the People First Party's (PFP) Diane Lee (李慶安) and independent candidate Li Ao (李敖) are all campaigning in the same constituency.
In his campaign, Hsu is proposing a "new one China policy" for future Taiwan-China diplomatic relations, which he said should be modeled on a European Union (EU)-style partnership.
Under Hsu's proposed "new one China policy," the status quo should be maintained with the institutional structures of the "Republic of China" intact. The policy calls for the establishment of a common cross-strait marketplace to facilitate the opening of air travel, financial markets and tourism between China and Taiwan. An administrative mechanism would be established above the existing institutional structures on either side of the Strait to jointly regulate the cross-strait economic marketplace. Finally, an advisory body called the "Chinese Parliament," without legislative authority, would be established to put Taiwan and China on an equal footing for negotiations.
"An EU-style mechanism for cross-strait relations meets the country's need for security and dignity and would let Taiwan take the initiative in shaping the future on its own terms," Hsu said.
Hsu, a Taoyuan County native who was born on May 27, 1941, started his political career in 1973 when he was elected as a Taiwan Provincial Assemblyman. But he became a heavyweight for what was then the opposition after becoming Taoyuan County commissioner in 1977.
With a master's degree in political science from National Chengchi University, Hsu is also one of the founders of the DPP and served as the party's chairman from 1991 to 1993 and from 1996 to 1998.
Along with Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), Hsu was also one of the political victims of the infamous Kaohsiung Incident (美麗島事件).
The incident started as a democracy rally on Dec. 10, 1979, involving primarily members and supporters of the outlawed tangwai movement. The government arrested many protesters on charges of treason and imprisoned them on Green Island for various lengths of time.
The gap between Hsu and the DPP grew wider, until he eventually quit the party and became an independent political figure on May 8, 1999. He made the final break so he could run for the presidency, since the DPP did not nominate him as a candidate. In addition, when his cross-strait policy gradually became more and more China-friendly, some old supporters and comrades became his political enemies.
In 2000, Hsu campaigned for the presidency with his partner, former New Party legislator Josephine Chu (朱惠良), but the pair lost miserably. Since then, Hsu has faded from the political scene -- but he's never quit politics.
Fast food chain McDonald's is to raise prices by up to NT$5 on some products at its restaurants across Taiwan, starting on Wednesday next week, the company announced today. The prices of all extra value meals and sharing boxes are to increase by NT$5, while breakfast combos and creamy corn soup would go up by NT$3, the company said in a statement. The price of the main items of those meals, if ordered individually, would remain the same. Meanwhile, the price of a medium-sized lemon iced tea and hot cappuccino would rise by NT$3, extra dipping sauces for chicken nuggets would go up
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
RSS