Former premier Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村) — who died on Monday at the age of 100 — always gave people the impression of being a “military strongman.” When his son Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) was elected Taipei mayor at the end of 2006, he excitedly told his father, who had served as the chief of the general staff: “Chief, I just took the hill.”
Apart from his public image as a military leader, it seems that he was also chief of staff at home.
Born in 1919, Hau spent most of his life in the military. Upon graduating from the Republic of China Military Academy, better known as the Whampoa Military Academy, he began his military career as an artillery officer in 1937 and retired as a four-star general.
After a military career spanning 53 years, he hung up his uniform and put on his suit, turning from an officer into a civilian. In 1990, he was appointed premier.
He had held a commander’s role for many years, and had served as a top military and political aide to then-president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), which is perhaps why he always acted sternly and resolutely.
Hau served as commander-in-chief of the army for three-and-a-half years before serving as chief of the general staff for eight years. Serving as a military leader for nearly 12 years gave him great decisionmaking power in the armed forces during the latter part of Chiang’s presidency.
Due to differences in their viewpoints on military and political issues, Hau and Chiang’s successor, Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), turned from close friends to mortal enemies, with their factions haunting the internal workings of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
In 1993, Hau tendered his resignation as premier under internal pressure from Lee and external pressure from the opposition camp.
With his connections inside the party, he was elected one of the KMT’s vice chairmen at the national party congress in the same year, alongside then-vice president Lee Yuan-tsu (李元簇), Judicial Yuan president Lin Yang-kang (林洋港) and Lien Chan (連戰), Hau’s replacement as premier.
Taiwan’s first direct presidential election in 1996 was a turning point, as Hau drew a clear line between the KMT and himself. Serving as Lin’s running mate, he ran against the Lee-Lien ticket nominated by the party. However, Hau only received 1.6 million votes, the second-lowest of all four tickets in the race.
When the KMT lost power in the 2000 presidential election, many inside the party called for the return of the expelled political heavyweights.
In February 2005, the party reinstated Hau’s membership and appointed him chairman of the presidium of the KMT Central Review Committee.
During his prime, Hau made his name on the battlefield and enjoyed great military power. In his later years, he joined the battles of the political world.
A prominent figure in Taiwan during all those years, he faded out of the spotlight to live in deep seclusion. Looking back at his military career and political life, it is just as his son once recounted: Hau lived a splendid life without any regrets.
Lo Tien-pin is a journalist for the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times).
Translated by Eddy Chang
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, people have been asking if Taiwan is the next Ukraine. At a G7 meeting of national leaders in January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Taiwan “could be the next Ukraine” if Chinese aggression is not checked. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that if Russia is not defeated, then “today, it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it can be Taiwan.” China does not like this rhetoric. Its diplomats ask people to stop saying “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” However, the rhetoric and stated ambition of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Taiwan shows strong parallels with