Hung Hsiu-chu

1.1. Early Life and Family Background

Hung Hsiu-chu was born in Taipei County on 7 April 1948, the second eldest of her siblings. Her father, Hung Zi-yu (洪子瑜^Chinese), was a native of Yuyao, Zhejiang, and became a victim of political persecution during Taiwan's White Terror period. This experience deeply influenced Hung's upbringing and instilled in her a strong sense of justice and a desire to pursue a career in law, as her father had high expectations for her in this field.

1.2. Education

Hung attended Dongyuan Elementary School and Taipei Second Girls' High School (now Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls High School). From an early age, she demonstrated exceptional public speaking and storytelling abilities, winning numerous awards. A reporter for The China Times once described her as "the talkative little genius" after she won a citywide storytelling contest in fifth grade. While excelling in speech and writing, her academic weakness was mathematics, where she scored poorly on college entrance exams.

Despite her struggles with math, Hung applied exclusively to law schools, in line with her father's wishes. She was accepted into the Department of Law at the College of Chinese Culture (now Chinese Culture University) in Taipei with a full-tuition scholarship from the college's founder, Chang Chi-yun. During her studies, Hung worked evenings as a tutor to help support her family and cover her college expenses. She earned her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree in 1970. Later, in August 1991, she obtained a Master of Arts degree in education from Northeast Missouri University (now Truman State University) in the United States. She also pursued continuing education coursework at National Chengchi University and National Taiwan Normal University.

2.1. Teaching Career

Following her graduation from college in 1970, Hung Hsiu-chu took the bar exam but did not pass on her first attempt. That same year, the Ministry of Education extended mandatory public education to nine years, leading Hung to begin a ten-year career as an educator. She first taught at Xihu High School of Industry and Commerce. The following year, she moved to Taipei County Municipal Xiufeng Senior High School, where she also served as the Director of Student Affairs. She also served as Director of Academic Affairs at Banqiao Junior High School from 1975 to 1979 and as Guidance Counselor at Overseas Chinese High School from 1979 to 1980.

2.2. Early Political Involvement

Hung's political journey began early when she joined the Kuomintang (KMT) in 11th grade, having been recommended by her dean as an excellent student. She actively participated in party activities from a young age. In 1980, she met Song Shi-xuan, who headed the KMT's Taiwan Provincial Branch. Song enlisted her to lead the branch's women's division in Taipei County, a position she held until 1986. She then spent three years working at the party headquarters in Taipei and served as an editor for the KMT Taiwan Province Department from 1986 to 1990. During this period, she also served as deputy director of the Youth Work Association and the Women Work Association. She also served as director of the ROC Children and Youth Welfare Association from 1994 to 1996 and as an advisor to the Garden of Hope Foundation from 1995 to 1996. With extensive experience within the party, Hung initially sought the KMT's nomination for the National Assembly. However, the KMT's Deputy Secretary-General, Guan Zhong, encouraged her to run for the Legislative Yuan instead, marking a pivotal shift in her political aspirations.

3.1. Legislative Yuan Tenure

Hung Hsiu-chu embarked on her first Legislative Election campaign in 1989. Despite initial objections from her KMT branch director, who denied her time off for campaigning, Hung persisted. She entered the primary, relying on her cousin to hold up her poster at weekday events as a silent protest against her forced absence. This unique approach garnered significant media attention, and Hung narrowly won the primary, securing the party's nomination. She later recounted whispering to her recently deceased father, "Bless me with the nomination if you want me to embark on my career in this path of politics." She subsequently won the seat in the legislative election and served eight consecutive terms in the Legislative Yuan.

Her second election term in 1992 was a close contest against Jaw Shaw-kong. Although she had joined a new secondary political coalition within the KMT in 1989, she chose to remain with the original KMT when the coalition formed the New Party in 1993. She was re-elected for her third term in 1995. For her fourth term in 1998, as Taipei County was divided into three constituencies with numerous candidates, Hung transitioned to the party list and was successfully re-elected. She again won by a narrow margin against the People First Party in 2001 for her fifth term. In 2004, for her sixth term, she ranked first in polls and secured the second-highest number of votes. She was re-elected as a party list member in 2008 for her seventh term. In August 2008, she publicly disclosed secret accounts held abroad by former President Chen Shui-bian, an action that drew strong reactions from Chen's supporters. She won her eighth term in the 2012 legislative election. Throughout her legislative career, Hung Hsiu-chu dedicated many years to serving on the Education and Culture Committee in the Legislative Yuan, reflecting her background and continued focus on educational policy. From 2000 onwards, she was also a member of the Kuomintang Central Standing Committee.

3.2. Kuomintang Leadership Roles

Hung Hsiu-chu has held several prominent positions within the Kuomintang. On 27 April 2007, she contested the 2007 Kuomintang chairmanship election against former acting KMT Chairman Wu Po-hsiung. She ultimately lost, securing 13.0% of the votes compared to Wu's 87.0%.

On 15 February 2012, Hung was appointed Vice Chairperson of the KMT by the KMT Central Standing Committee, following the resignation of former Vice Chairman Tseng Yung-chuan. After the KMT suffered significant losses in the 2014 Taiwanese local elections on 29 November 2014, Party Chairman Ma Ying-jeou resigned. With both the first and second Vice Chairmen declining the acting position, Wu Den-yih was nominated as acting Chairman, and Hung became the acting Secretary-General on 3 December 2014. Her tenure as acting Secretary-General concluded on 18 January 2015, after Eric Chu became the new Party Chairman, winning the 2015 Kuomintang chairmanship election unopposed. She also held positions as chairperson of the Chinese Youth Care Association, chairperson of the ROC Tug of War Association (later Chinese Taipei Tug of War Association), and chairperson of the Chinese Love Alliance of Care for the Weak.

3.3. Vice Presidency of the Legislative Yuan

In 2012, Hung Hsiu-chu made history by becoming the first woman elected as the Vice President of the Legislative Yuan, securing an overwhelming 69 votes. She assumed office on 1 February 2012. Upon her appointment, Hung emphasized her familiarity with the legislative body's operations and the critical importance of respecting and adhering to its regulations. Her election to this post marked a significant milestone for women in Taiwanese politics.

3.4. Cross-Strait Relations Engagement

Throughout her political career, Hung Hsiu-chu has been an active participant in dialogues concerning cross-strait relations between Taiwan and mainland China, often advocating for closer ties. In June 2012, while serving as Vice Chairperson of the KMT, she delivered the opening remarks at the 4th Straits Forum in Xiamen, Fujian. She stated that while mainland China was growing in size and strength, its greatest appeal to Taiwan lay not only in its increasing competitiveness but also in the respect and goodwill extended to the people of Taiwan.

Two years later, at the 6th Straits Forum in Xiamen in June 2014, Hung reiterated her hope for both sides to cherish their increasingly close links and continue mutual dialogue and exchanges. She expressed belief that such engagement would inject new energy into cross-strait relations. She acknowledged that the forum maintained its enthusiasm and vitality despite the setback caused by the Sunflower Student Movement's opposition to the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement. Hung also recognized the widening gap between the rich and the poor in Taiwan and the dissatisfaction of younger generations towards the government, issues she noted were common in many countries due to global trends towards free trade. She committed that the government would be more open and tolerant in negotiating with the public and addressing challenges.

4.1. KMT Presidential Primary and Nomination

On 20 April 2015, Hung Hsiu-chu registered for the KMT presidential primary ahead of the 2016 Taiwanese presidential election. She pledged to uphold a fair and open election process under a democratic mechanism. On 14 June 2015, Hung successfully passed the 30% approval rating threshold in three KMT presidential primary polls, achieving an average approval rating of 46.20%. This surprising outcome led to her official nomination as the KMT presidential candidate during the National Party Congress on 19 July 2015, held at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei. In her acceptance speech, she promised to bring peace, openness, equal distribution of wealth, and morality to the people of Taiwan if elected. She also committed to pushing for peaceful cross-strait relations based on the 1992 Consensus.

4.2. Campaign Platform and Cross-Strait Policy

Hung Hsiu-chu launched her presidential campaign in Taichung on 23 July 2015. During an interview, she stated that her decisions would consider the interests of the people and the ROC constitution. She pledged to sign a peace agreement aimed at improving military trust between Taiwan and mainland China and expressed hope that mainland China would allow Taiwan more opportunities to participate in international organizations, thereby boosting its regional economic strength. She also promised to enhance the economy through job creation and foster a just and equal society.

Her cross-strait policy, known as "one China, same interpretation," aimed for the People's Republic of China to recognize the government of the Republic of China without recognizing the ROC as a sovereign state. This stance was seen by some as leaning more towards pro-Chinese unification compared to the KMT's traditional "one China, different interpretation" based on the 1992 Consensus. While then-President Ma Ying-jeou supported her view, stating it was not fundamentally different from his own, KMT Chairman Eric Chu publicly opposed it, highlighting internal party divisions. Rumors of her withdrawal from the race continually plagued her campaign, though Hung consistently denied them, famously stating she would "rather die than withdraw."

4.3. Withdrawal and Replacement

The challenges facing Hung Hsiu-chu's campaign intensified as her public support remained low. On 26 July 2015, her campaign team's spokesperson, Jack Yu, announced his resignation, though he later stayed on as an adviser. By early October 2015, a KMT-sanctioned poll revealed Hung's support had dropped to 13%. This prompted KMT Central Standing Committee member Chiang Shuo-ping to propose a party congress to review her candidacy.

Due to her consistently poor performance in polls, 91% of delegates at a special party congress held on 17 October 2015, voted to replace Hung as the KMT presidential candidate. KMT chairman Eric Chu was subsequently selected as her replacement. Hundreds of Hung's supporters gathered outside Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to protest the party's decision. On 22 October, Hung announced that she would return all campaign contributions received since 23 September, totaling 11.83 M NTD, to 2,633 donors.

After her presidential campaign concluded, New Party chairman Yok Mu-ming attempted to persuade Hung to switch parties and run for the legislature under the New Party banner. Hung rejected this offer in November 2015, reaffirming her intention to remain with the KMT but choosing not to seek legislative re-election in 2016. She later authored a book about her presidential campaign titled Unfinished Presidential Road. In December, Eric Chu invited Hung to lead an advisory group for his campaign.

5.1. Election and Tenure

Following Eric Chu's resignation as KMT chair after the party's defeat in the 2016 presidential election, Hung Hsiu-chu announced her candidacy for the position on 19 January 2016. On 22 February, she submitted the signatures of 84,822 party members in support of her bid. Four days later, her candidacy was confirmed, having collected 38,407 valid signatures. Hung won the 2016 Kuomintang chairmanship election with 78,829 votes, making her the first elected chairwoman of the party. She assumed office on 26 March 2016.

5.2. Engagement with Mainland China

During her tenure as KMT Chairwoman, Hung Hsiu-chu actively pursued engagement with mainland China. On 30 October 2016, she led a delegation to the 11th Cross-strait Peace Development Forum, held from 2 to 3 November in Beijing. The delegation included notable figures such as Jason Hu, Steve Chan, Huang Ching-hsien, Alex Tsai, Chang Jung-kung, and Wu Bi-chu. In her capacity as Kuomintang chairperson, she met with General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping. During their discussions, both leaders agreed to explore the possibility of a cross-strait peace agreement, a move that underscored Hung's commitment to closer ties with mainland China but also drew scrutiny regarding its implications for Taiwan's sovereignty and democratic autonomy.

5.3. 2017 KMT Chairmanship Election

Hung Hsiu-chu was the first to declare her candidacy for the 2017 Kuomintang chairmanship election. However, she finished second in the election, losing to Wu Den-yih.

2017 Kuomintang chairmanship election
No.	Candidate	Party	Votes	Percentage
1	Wu Den-yih	Kuomintang	144,408	52.24%
2	Hung Hsiu-chu	Kuomintang	53,063	19.20%
3	Hau Lung-pin	Kuomintang	44,301	16.03%
4	Han Kuo-yu	Kuomintang	16,141	5.84%
5	Steve Chan	Kuomintang	12,332	4.46%
6	Tina Pan	Kuomintang	2,437	0.88%
Eligible voters			476,147
Total votes			276,423
Valid votes			272,682
Invalid votes			3,741
Turnout			58.05%

6.1. 2020 Legislative Election

In August 2019, Hung Hsiu-chu announced her intention to contest the 2020 Taiwan legislative election in the newly formed Tainan sixth district. She was formally nominated by the Kuomintang in September. However, in the election, she lost to Wang Ting-yu, a sitting legislator from a different district.

6.2. Stances on Human Rights and International Affairs

Hung Hsiu-chu's later political activities included several controversial public statements, particularly concerning human rights and international relations. In 2022, she publicly complimented Chinese anti-terrorism efforts in Xinjiang, despite widespread international condemnation of these efforts as constituting severe human rights violations against Uyghurs. During a trip sponsored by the Chinese government, she accused the United States of fabricating lies about Chinese repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. She asserted that "The US and some Western countries have fabricated lies about the so-called 'forced labor' and 'genocide' in Xinjiang to undermine China's internal unity." These remarks were heavily criticized across Taiwan by various groups, including labor organizations and political parties, for downplaying or denying documented human rights abuses.

In December 2019, Hung also criticized a proposed "Foreign Influence Transparency Act" by the Democratic Progressive Party, stating, "What is foreign influence? The United States and Japan and even Hong Kong's chaotic 'ghost children' are intervening in elections." Her use of the term "ghost children" to refer to Hong Kong protesters was widely seen as dismissive and disrespectful of their pro-democracy movement.

In May 2021, as Taiwan faced a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines amidst a surge in domestic infections, Hung Hsiu-chu released a video message. She questioned why Japan had not offered assistance, recalling Taiwan's significant donation of over 20.00 B JPY in aid after the East Japan Earthquake. She stated, "The DPP Tsai Ing-wen administration boasts that the current Taiwan-Japan relationship is historically good, but then why has Japan not extended any helping hand to Taiwan?" This comment sparked debate about international diplomacy and aid.

Her participation in large-scale protests against pension reforms in September 2016, a key policy of the Tsai Ing-wen administration, also drew attention. These protests were reportedly fueled by misinformation and rumors disseminated through platforms like WeChat and Chinese websites, raising suspicions of information manipulation by the Chinese Communist Party.

7.1. Nickname and Public Persona

Hung Hsiu-chu is popularly nicknamed the little hot pepper (小辣椒_{Xiǎo Làjiāo}^Chinese). This moniker reflects her reputation for being outspoken, direct, and having a straightforward communication style, often characterized by her fiery speeches and unyielding positions on political issues. The nickname has become synonymous with her public persona, highlighting her distinctive and often assertive approach in the political arena.

8.1. Cross-Strait Policy

Hung Hsiu-chu's approach to cross-strait relations is a defining aspect of her political ideology. She is a proponent of the "one China, same interpretation" principle, which she articulated during her 2016 presidential campaign. This stance suggests that while there is only "one China," both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) agree on this principle, but each side has its own interpretation of what "China" means. However, her interpretation was often perceived as leaning more explicitly towards unification with mainland China than the KMT's traditional "one China, different interpretation" (一中各表_{Yī Zhōng Gè Biǎo}^Chinese) based on the 1992 Consensus. This nuanced difference caused significant internal debate within the KMT and raised concerns among the Taiwanese public, who largely favor maintaining the status quo or moving towards independence. Her meetings with mainland Chinese leaders, including Xi Jinping, and discussions about a cross-strait peace agreement further underscored her commitment to fostering closer political ties with Beijing.

8.2. Views on Human Rights and Social Issues

Hung Hsiu-chu's perspectives on human rights and social matters have been a source of considerable controversy and criticism, particularly in her later career. Her statements regarding the Uyghur situation in Xinjiang are a notable example. She has publicly praised China's "anti-terrorism efforts" in the region and accused the United States and Western countries of fabricating claims of "forced labor" and "genocide" to undermine China's internal unity. These remarks, made during a trip sponsored by the Chinese government, stand in stark contrast to widespread international reports and condemnations of severe human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Her denial of these abuses has been strongly criticized in Taiwan for undermining democratic values and human rights advocacy.

Additionally, her characterization of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters as "chaotic 'ghost children'" in 2019 demonstrated a critical stance towards popular movements for greater autonomy and human rights. These views reflect a conservative perspective that prioritizes stability and national unity, often aligning with Beijing's narrative, even at the expense of international human rights norms and the democratic aspirations of other regions.

9.1. Positive Contributions

Hung Hsiu-chu holds a notable place in Taiwanese political history as a pioneering female leader. She was the first woman to be elected as the Vice President of the Legislative Yuan and later as the first elected female Chairperson of the Kuomintang. Her long tenure as a legislator, spanning eight consecutive terms, demonstrates her resilience and dedication to public service. Throughout her time in the Legislative Yuan, she consistently focused on education policy, serving for many years on the Education and Culture Committee, advocating for improvements in the quality of and access to higher education in Taiwan. Her straightforward and assertive communication style, earning her the nickname "little hot pepper," also made her a recognizable and distinct figure in the political landscape.

9.2. Criticisms and Controversies

Despite her achievements, Hung Hsiu-chu's career has been shadowed by several criticisms and controversies. Her "one China, same interpretation" policy during the 2016 presidential campaign was a major point of contention. It was viewed by many, including some within her own party, as being too close to Beijing's stance on unification, leading to concerns about Taiwan's sovereignty and democratic autonomy. This controversial policy, coupled with consistently low poll numbers, ultimately led to her unprecedented replacement as the KMT's presidential candidate, a significant setback in her career.

In her later political career, her remarks on human rights issues, particularly regarding Xinjiang, drew severe criticism. Her praise for China's "anti-terrorism efforts" and her accusation that Western countries fabricated claims of "forced labor" and "genocide" were widely condemned in Taiwan for disregarding documented human rights abuses and aligning with Beijing's narrative. Similarly, her dismissive comments about Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters as "ghost children" were seen as insensitive and contrary to democratic values. These controversial statements have led to a perception that her views on human rights and international affairs are out of step with mainstream Taiwanese sentiment, particularly among those who prioritize democratic freedoms and international solidarity.