Frank Hsieh

Frank Hsieh Hsieh Chang-ting MLY
謝長廷
Hsieh in August 2013
ROC Representative to Japan
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 June 2016
Preceded by	Shen Ssu-tsun
Chair of the Democratic Progressive Party (acting in 2008)
In office 20 April 2000 – 21 July 2002
Preceded by	Lin Yi-hsiung
Succeeded by	Chen Shui-bian
In office 12 January 2008 – 20 May 2008
Preceded by	Chen Shui-bian
Succeeded by	Tsai Ing-wen
Premier of the Republic of China
In office 1 February 2005 – 25 January 2006
President	Chen Shui-bian
Preceded by	Yu Shyi-kun
Succeeded by	Su Tseng-chang
24th Mayor of Kaohsiung
In office 25 December 1998 – 1 February 2005
Preceded by	Wu Den-yih
Succeeded by	Chen Chi-mai (acting) Yeh Chu-lan (acting) Chen Chu
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office 1 February 1993 – 31 January 1996
Constituency	Taipei 2
In office 1 February 1990 – 31 January 1993
Member of the Taipei City Council
In office 1981–1989
Personal details
Born	May 18, 1946 Taipei, Taiwan (modern-day Datong District)
Nationality	Taiwan
Political party	Democratic Progressive Party
Spouse(s)	Yu Fang-chih
Alma mater	National Taiwan University (LL.B.) Kyoto University (M.Jur.) & (ABD)
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Buddhist[1]

Frank Hsieh (Chinese: 謝長廷; pinyin: Xiè Chángtíng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Siā Tiông-têng / Chiā Tiông-têng; born May 18, 1946) is a Taiwanese politician. A cofounder of the Democratic Progressive Party, he has served on the Taipei City Council, the Legislative Yuan, as the mayor of Kaohsiung City, and as the Premier of the Republic of China under president Chen Shui-bian. Hsieh was the DPP nominee in the 2008 presidential election and was defeated by Ma Ying-jeou. Hsieh has been the leader of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan since June 2016.

Early life

Born in Dadaocheng, Taipei, in 1946, Hsieh was a gymnast in high school and worked as a food vendor before college.^[2][3] He received a Bachelor of Laws degree from National Taiwan University. Hsieh then obtained a master's degree and later completed doctoral coursework (all but dissertation) in jurisprudence at Kyoto University in Japan.^[4] He was a practicing attorney from 1969 to 1981,^[5] serving as a defense attorney in the martial courts following the Kaohsiung Incident of 1980.^[6][7]

Rise in politics

Prior to the 1986 establishment of the Democratic Progressive Party, Hsieh, Chen Shui-bian and Lin Cheng-chieh were known as the "three musketeers" of the tangwai movement.^[8] Hsieh cofounded the party and was the one who proposed its current name.^[9] He has also served as its chairman twice. A two-time Taipei City councilor from 1981 to 1988, Hsieh was then elected to the Legislative Yuan, the next year, and won reelection in 1992.^[10] Instead of running for reelection in the 1995 legislative elections, Hsieh chose to run in the 1994 Taipei mayoral election, and lost a primary to eventual winner Chen Shui-bian.^[11] In September 1995, Peng Ming-min and Hsieh were placed on the Democratic Progressive Party ticket for the 1996 presidential election.^[12][13] They finished second with 21.1% of the vote.

1996 Republic of China Presidential Election Result
President Candidate	Vice President Candidate	Party	Votes	%
Lee Teng-hui	Lien Chan	Kuomintang	5,813,699	54.0
Peng Ming-min	Frank Hsieh	Democratic Progressive Party	2,274,586	21.1
Lin Yang-kang	Hau Pei-tsun	Independent	1,603,790	14.9
Chen Li-an	Wang Ching-feng	Independent	1,074,044	9.9
Invalid/blank votes			117,160
Total			10,883,279	100

Kaohsiung mayoralty

To the surprise of many observers, Hsieh defeated the Kuomintang incumbent, Wu Den-yih, and won the Kaohsiung City mayoral election by 4,565 votes in 1998.^[14][15] His administration focused on improving water quality in surrounding rivers as well as a general overhaul of the port of Kaohsiung.^[16] Hsieh supported placing the port, at the time run largely by the central government, under the jurisdiction of Kaohsiung City Government.^[17] Under Hsieh's leadership efforts to clean up the heavily polluted Love River began in 1999, and ended in 2002.^[18][19] He was also largely responsible for the establishment of the Kaohsiung Metro.^[20][21] These achievements helped Hsieh earn strong support among Kaohsiung citizens.^[22] He was re-elected for a four-year term in 2002. Hsieh was projected to win easily, but People First Party chair James Soong publicly supported Kuomintang candidate Huang Jun-ying, which helped Huang earn more votes.^[23] Hsieh defeated Huang by 24,838 votes (3.22%).^[14]

2002 Kaohsiung City Mayoral Election Result
Party		#	Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Independent	1	Shih Ming-teh	8,750	1.13%
	Independent	2	Chang Po-ya	13,479	1.75%
	Independent	3	Huang Tian-sheng (黃天生)	1,998	0.26%
	Kuomintang	4	Huang Jun-ying (黃俊英)	361,546	46.82%
	Democratic Progressive Party	5	Frank Hsieh	386,384	50.04%
Total				779,911	100.00%
Voter turnout				71.38%

Premiership and aftermath

In January 2005, Hsieh was appointed premier, forcing him to leave his post as mayor of Kaohsiung.^[24][25] Chen Chi-mai succeeded him as acting mayor.

Kuomintang politicians asked Hsieh to step down from the premiership shortly after the Kaohsiung MRT foreign workers scandal broke.^[26] Hsieh eventually resigned as premier in the aftermath of the 2005 "Three-in-One" elections, which the DPP lost in a landslide.^[27][28]

As the DPP candidate for the 2006 Taipei Mayoral election, Hsieh lost the race to KMT candidate Hau Lung-pin by 166,216 votes (12.92%).^[29] The loss was largely expected, as Taipei was considered a Kuomintang stronghold.^[30]

2006 Taipei City Mayoral Election Result
No	Candidate	Party	Votes	%
1	Li Ao	Independent	7,795	0.61%
2	Clara Chou[lower-alpha 1]	Taiwan Solidarity Union	3,372	0.26%
3	Frank Hsieh	Democratic Progressive Party	525,869	40.89%
4	James Soong[lower-alpha 2]	Independent	53,281	4.14%
5	Hau Lung-pin	Kuomintang	692,085	53.81%
6	Ke Tsi-hai (柯賜海)	Independent	3,687	0.29%

In February 2007, he led the Taiwanese delegation to the 55th annual United States National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C., hosted by the U.S. Congressional Committee with dignitaries including President George W. Bush.^[33][34]

2008 presidential campaign

Hsieh was frequently considered to be a leading contender for the DPP nomination in the 2008 presidential election, and formally announced his intention to run in the election on 16 February 2007.^[35] Hsieh was the second to formally declared candidacy, after the Kuomintang's Ma Ying-jeou did so three days prior.^[36] Hsieh won 45% of the vote in the Democratic Progressive Party primary.^[37] A scheduled straw poll was cancelled after his three primary opponents all conceded defeat, and Hsieh was declared the DPP nominee.^[38] In July 2007, Hsieh visited the United States, branding it "the journey of Love and Trust" (「愛與信任」之旅).^[39][40] In September 2007, Hsieh openly declared that he was running for the presidency of the State of Taiwan (台灣國), saying that "recogniz[ing] ourselves (the Taiwanese people) as a nation first and then fight[ing] for what we want during negotiations with other countries" is important.^[41] As a result of the Kuomintang's allegations of graft against Hsieh, prosecutors began an investigation of him in 2007. The investigation ended in September, when it was announced that Hsieh would not be charged with wrongdoing.^[42]

Regarding Ma Ying-jeou's idea of a "cross-strait common market," Hsieh states that if Taiwan only focuses on the economy, it will end up like Hong Kong and Macau, whose only goal in life is to make money. Hsieh believes that improving the economy is as important as preserving national dignity, and that the goal of economic development is more than just making money, but it is also improving the happiness of people.^[43]

Following the DPP's poor performance in the 2008 legislative election, Hsieh replaced Chen Shui-bian as party chairman.^[44]

In January 2008, Hsieh accused candidate Ma Ying-jeou of having a United States green card. Subsequent investigations revealed that one of Ma's sisters and one of his two daughters are US citizens. Hsieh stated that if Ma made public documented proof that he had renounced the green card, Hsieh would withdraw from the election.^[45]

The election was devastating to Hsieh and the DPP because he lost by a wider-than-expected margin of 17%. Hsieh had stated that if he lost this election, he would not run for office again.^[46] He resigned from the DPP chairmanship to take responsibility for the defeat.^[47] Tsai Ing-wen was elected as the new chairperson of the DPP.

In July 2010, Hsieh stood for the DPP's central committee standing membership election and won.^[48][49]

 Summary of the 22 March 2008 Taiwan presidential election results

Party		Candidate		Votes	Percentage
		President	Vice president
	Kuomintang	Ma Ying-jeou	Vincent Siew	7,659,014	58.45%
	Democratic Progressive Party	Frank Hsieh	Su Tseng-chang	5,444,949	41.55%
Total				13,103,963	100.00%

Cross-strait relations

2012 visit to China

On October 2012, Hsieh went to China for five days as the highest-ranking DPP official ever to visit. However, the trip was made in no political capacity, but rather as a private citizen. He visited Xiamen, Dongshan Islands and Beijing on 4–8 October.^[50]

He met with Dai Bingguo, the State Councilor of the PRC, Chen Yunlin, the President of Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and Wang Yi, Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the PRC.

Although both sides agreed on the One-China policy in governing the Cross-Strait relations, Hsieh prefer to have a new consensus of the so-called constitutions with different interpretations (憲法各表) instead of the 1992 consensus.

Constitutions with different interpretations

In mid April 2013 while in the United States, Hsieh reiterated his 'constitutions with different interpretations' initiative for cross-strait relations between DPP and the CPC, and urged Beijing to accept difference across the Taiwan Strait for both sides being able to facilitate dialogue.^[51]

Hong Kong cross-strait forum

In end of June 2013, Hsieh attended a 2-day forum on cross-strait relations entitled "Development and Innovation of Cross-Strait Relations" in Hong Kong. The forum was co-organized by Taiwan-based Taiwan Reform Foundation and Beijing-based Taiwan Research Institute. Before the forum, Hsieh attended a dinner hosted by Tung Chee Hwa, former Chief Executive of Hong Kong on Friday evening.^[52]

Hsieh said that mutual trust between DPP and Beijing was important and that all of the bilateral exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should benefit the public and address their needs. He also added that rebalancing cross-strait interactions is important as well. He once again reiterated his 'constitutions with different interpretations' view that Taipei and Beijing can coexist if both sides respect each other's constitutional legitimacy.^[53]

ROC representative to Japan

In March 2016, local media began reporting that Hsieh had accepted a position as Taiwan's representative to Japan in Tsai Ing-wen's administration.^[54] He announced the appointment in late April,^[55] and made his first official visit to Japan on June 9.^[56] Ko Shu-ling of the Kyodo News wrote favorably of Hsieh's appointment, stating that the focus on Cross-Strait and Taiwan–United States relations under previous administrations seemed to be rolled back in favor of a "southward" policy, a goal of the Tsai presidency.^[9][57] Hsieh has discussed the possible lifting of Taiwanese restrictions on imports from Fukushima Prefecture, which had been put in place as a result of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the cause of meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.^[58]

Personal life

Hsieh is married to Yu Fang-chih (游芳枝);^[59] together, they have a daughter^[60][61] and an adopted son. Hsieh's mother died in 2007.^[62]

Hsieh and nine other Democratic Progressive Party politicians performed traditional Taiwanese songs on a re-release of the album Oh! Formosa in 2000.^[63] He later learned to play the ocarina, and released his own album in 2005.^[2]

Hsieh first claimed part-aboriginal descent in 2005,^[64] and stated that he enjoyed Bunun music.^[65]

He is also of seventh generation native Taiwanese Hoklo descent—his ancestor, Hsieh Guangyu (謝光玉) migrated from Tongshan, a village in Fujian province's Zhao'an County (now part of Dongshan County).^[66][67]

Notes

1. Despite Chou's expulsion from the Taiwan Solidarity Union on 9 November 2006, the party could not withdraw their recommendation for Chou under Republic of China's Public Officials Election and Recall Law. She would still contest the elections as a TSU candidate.^[31]
2. James Soong was Chairman of the People's First Party at the time of the elections, but entered the elections as an independent.^[32]

References

1. "Profile: Frank Hsieh". BBC News. 20 March 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
2. Hwang, Jim (1 March 2008). "Finding Common Ground". Taiwan Today. Archived from the original on 1 March 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
3. Johnson, Ian (20 March 2008). "Taiwan Heads for Thaw With China". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
4. Hsu, Stacy (10 June 2016). "Hsieh promises to deepen ties with Japan". Taipei Times. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
5. "Presidential election 2008: 1 days to go:Profiles of presidential candidates". Taipei Times. 21 March 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
6. Chao, Vincent Y. (13 December 2009). "Thousands remember Incident". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
7. Chao, Vincent Y. (13 December 2009). "Academics acknowledge sacrifice made by protesters". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
8. Ko, Shu-ling (30 January 2005). "Hsieh, Chen are friendly rivals". Taipei Times. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
9. Ko, Shu-Ling (3 May 2016). "Taipei's new Tokyo envoy pick has affinity for Japan, looks to strengthen ties". Japan Times. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
10. "President Chen and Frank Hsieh share long history". China Post. 26 January 2005. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
11. Lee, Sherry (12 March 2008). "Presidential Candidate Frank Hsieh". CommonWealth Magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
12. Sheng, Virginia (12 January 1996). "Independents fault sign-up rules; One presidential hopeful abandons race in protest". Taiwan Today. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
13. Lin, Enru (25 October 2015). "No running mates in 100-day stretch". China Post. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
14. Jacobs, J. Bruce (1 March 2003). "A Tale of Two Cities". Taiwan Today. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
15. Joei, Bernard T. K. (1 February 1999). "Looking Back, Looking Forth". Taiwan Today. Archived from the original on 1 February 1999. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
16. Cheng, Brian (27 October 2000). "Government shines spotlight on port cities; Future brighter for Kaohsiung". Taiwan Today. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
17. Huang, Joyce (12 May 2001). "Chen lauds merger of Kaohsiung port". Taipei Times. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
18. Huang, Jewel (8 January 2004). "Boats to consummate Love River cleanup". Taipei Times. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
19. Chou, Wilma (23 August 2002). "Kaohsiung City's Love River brought back from the dead". Taiwan Today. Archived from the original on 23 August 2002. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
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21. "Kaohsiung signs metro contract". Railway Gazette. 1 June 2000. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
22. Huang, Jewel (31 December 2004). "Hsieh: `Our positive thinking's working'". Taipei Times. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
23. Lam, Willy Wo-Lap (4 December 2002). "Surprises in Taiwan's mayoral race". CNN.com. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
24. Silitonga, Siska (25 January 2005). "Taiwan President Picks New Cabinet Leader". Voice of America. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
25. "Chen names Frank Hsieh as new premier". China Post. 26 January 2005. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
26. Ko, Shu-ling (15 November 2005). "Pan-blues demand Frank Hsieh's head over KRTC". Taipei Times. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
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28. "Taiwanese Premier Hsieh resigns". BBC News. 17 January 2006. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
29. Chung, Lawrence (10 December 2006). "KMT seen as the loser despite victory in capital". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
30. Ramzy, Austin (11 December 2006). "Back in the Game". Time. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
31. "TSU expels Taipei mayoral candidate". China Post. 10 November 2006. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
32. Shih, Hsiu-chuan (10 December 2006). "Elections 2006: People First Party chairman announces an end to his career". Taipei Times. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
33. Huang, Jewel (30 December 2006). "Frank Hsieh set to attend US National Prayer Breakfast". Taipei Times. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
34. "DPP's Hsieh arrives in U.S. to attend prayer breakfast". China Post. Central News Agency. 1 February 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
35. Mo, Yan-chih (17 February 2007). "Hsieh throws hat in ring for 2008 race". Taipei Times. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
36. Chang, Rich; Mo, Yan-chih (13 February 2007). "Ma starts 2008 bid after indictment". Taipei Times.
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39. 袁, 玫 (2 August 2007). "謝長廷「愛與信任」之旅抵達終點洛杉磯". Epoch Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 11 June 2016.
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43. Ko, Shu-ling (19 October 2007). "Hsieh clarifies stance on investment from China". Taipei Times. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
44. Ko, Shu-ling; Shih, Hsiu-chuan (26 March 2008). "DPP to elect new chairman on May 25". Taipei Times. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
45. Shan, Shelley (16 March 2008). "6 days to go: Chen vows to quit if Ma proves he has no green card". Taipei Times. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
46. Ko, Shu-ling (2008-03-23). "Presidential election 2008: Losing Ticket: Hsieh congratulates the victor". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2013-10-10.
47. Ko, Shu-ling (27 March 2008). "Hsieh resigns as chairman of the DPP". Taipei Times. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
48. Chao, Vincent Y. (8 June 2010). "Frank Hsieh to run for spot on DPP's standing committee". Taipei Times. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
49. "Frank Hsieh apologizes for breaking vow to leave politics". China Post. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
50. "Frank Hsieh confirms visit to China". Taipei Times. 2014-06-02. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
51. "Hsieh defends cross-strait initiative". Taipei Times. 2014-06-02. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
52. (GMT+8) (2013-06-29). "Frank Hsieh calls for tolerance in cross-strait relations｜Politics｜News｜WantChinaTimes.com". Wantchinatimes.com. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
53. "Hsieh wraps up cross-strait forum in HK". Taipei Times. 2014-06-02. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
54. "Hsieh likely next envoy to Japan". Taipei Times. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
55. Loa, Iok-sin (28 April 2016). "Hsieh confirms his appointment as envoy to Japan". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
56. Lu, Hsin-hui; Liu, Kay (9 June 2016). "Frank Hsieh arrives in Tokyo as Taiwan's envoy to Japan". Central News Agency. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
57. Chen, Hui-ping (21 March 2016). "Tsai to chase 'new southward policy'". Retrieved 9 June 2016.
58. "Taiwan's new envoy indicates import ban on Japanese food may be lifted". Japan Times. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
59. "Cult leader for real, Hsieh's wife says". Taipei Times. 11 December 2002. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
60. Mo, Yan-chih (3 April 2005). "Children celebrate Anderson's tales". Taipei Times. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
61. "Should Taiwan Elect a President Who Kneels before a Cult Leader?". Koumintang News Network. 15 November 2007. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
62. "Frank Hsieh mourns his mother's passing in blog". China Post. Central News Agency. 10 April 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
63. "Real Dolls, Taiwan R&B, Eurasian Fusion". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 112 (34): 54. 19 August 2000. ISSN 0006-2510.
64. Rickards, Jane (10 August 2005). "Taiwanese have indigenous roots". China Post. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
65. Chuang, Jimmy (26 July 2005). "Hsieh says he is part Aboriginal; declares new day". Taipei Times. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
66. "Key Taiwan opposition figure in China visit". BBC News. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012. He will visit Dongshan island, the home of his ancestors, and the Olympic stadium in Beijing.
67. Ramzy, Austin (4 October 2012). "Quiet Reception as Taiwan Opposition-Party Heavyweight Visits China". Time. Retrieved 18 December 2014.

External links

• Personal website