Lu Shiow-yen

KMT Protests Report by Premier Over Food Safety

Brian Hioe
A political controversy about a banned meat additive has become an object of partisan contestation between the KMT and DPP, with the KMT boycotting a report to the legislature by Premier Chen Chien-jen yesterday. The controversy led to back-and-forth before the Lunar New Year between the health authorities of the Food and Drug Administration and the Ministry of Health and Welfare...
EnglishFebruary 2024Politics5 min read

Taichung Mayoral Debate Centers Air Pollution, Past Campaign Promises

Brian Hioe
The Taichung mayoral debate took place on November 15th. This report will focus on the two primary candidates, incumbent Lu Shiow-yen of the KMT and challenger Tsai Chi-chang of the DPP. As with many of the other debates that have been held in the course of the election, there were three rounds. The first round consisted of opening statements, the second round consisted of questions from a panel of experts, and the third round consisted of closing statements...
2022 ElectionsEnglishNovember 2022Politics5 min read

Ambiguity Continues Regarding 2020 Presidential Election Candidates

Brian Hioe
An abortive alliance between Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je, former KMT majority speaker Wang Jinpyng, and FoxConn CEO Terry Gou seems to have sputtered out, following comments by Ko in which he denigrated the other two before a planned meeting that was to take place last Sunday. Although unlikely, talk is also on the rise of the KMT potentially replacing Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu as its presidential candidate in 2020 elections, with the KMT demonstrating some unusual splits regarding Han...
August 2019EnglishPolitics7 min read

Lawsuits Against Taipower from KMT Mayors Are an Indirect Way to Attack Tsai Administration

Brian Hioe
In the past month, the Nantou city government has filed a lawsuit against the state-owned Taipower Corporation. This is on the grounds that air pollution from the coal-burning Taichung Power Plant is causing the high death rate from lung cancer in Nantou county. Interestingly, the Taichung city government has backed Nantou county’s lawsuit against the Taipower Corporation...
EnglishEnvironmentalMay 2019Social Movements5 min read

Ma Ying-Jeou Versus Wang Jinpyng, Part Two?

Brian Hioe
The "September Political Struggle" between former president Ma Ying-Jeou and former majority speaker Wang Jinpyng is again back in the news, with Wang and Ma publicly trading barbs after the release of a new book by Ma detailing his presidential administration and defending past actions. The reemergence of these tensions perhaps points to the major splits within the KMT at present...
EnglishJanuary 2019Politics5 min read

Will The DPP Lose Its Control Of Taiwan’s Six Special Municipalities?

Brian Hioe
With mayorship of all of Taiwan’s six special municipalities up for the vote in 2018 local elections, the DPP looks like it may have a tough time holding onto its current political dominance in four out of the six municipalities. Some take the view that DPP losses in these municipalities will allow the KMT to rebuild momentum, which is why DPP losses could be worrying...
#22EnglishNovember 2018Politics8 min read