Tsai Huang-liang ; born 5 July 1960) is a Taiwanese politician.

Early life and education

Tsai was born in 1960 to a family of farmers in

Puli, Nantou Puli Township () is an township (Taiwan), urban township in Nantou County, Taiwan. The township is located within the Puli Basin. It is the geographic center of Taiwan. Name In the 19th century the city was known as Posia () or Po-li-sia (). ...

. He graduated from

Feng Chia University Feng Chia University (FCU; ) is a private research university in Taiwan, located in Taichung. It was named after Chiu Feng-Chia, one of the leaders of the military resistance against the Japanese invasion of Taiwan in 1895. Feng Chia Univer ...

with a bachelor's degree in

co-operative economics Cooperative (or co-operative) economics is a field of economics that incorporates co-operative studies, cooperative studies and political economy toward the study and management of cooperatives. History Cooperative economics developed as both a ...

and then earned a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

(M.B.A.) degree from

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; zh, t=國立臺灣大學, poj=Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Tāi-ha̍k, p=, s=) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 1928 during Taiwan under J ...

Political career

The

Kaohsiung Incident The Kaohsiung Incident, also known as the Formosa Incident, the Meilidao Incident, or the ''Formosa Magazine'' incident,tang was a crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations that occurred in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on 10 December 1979 during Taiwa ...

occurred while Tsai served in the

Republic of China Armed Forces The Republic of China Armed Forces ( zh, t=中華民國國軍) are the national military forces of the Taiwan, Republic of China (ROC), which is now based primarily in the Taiwan Area but Republic of China (1912–1949), formerly governed Mai ...

. After his discharge from the military, Tsai advocated for the further democratization of Taiwan. He was elected to the Puli township council in 1984, and joined the

Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a centre to centre-left Taiwanese nationalist political party in Taiwan. As the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition, one of the two main political camps in Taiwan, the DPP is currently the ...

in 1987 upon the lifting of

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

and assorted restrictions on opposition parties. Tsai was later elected to the

Nantou County Council The Nantou County Council (NTCC; ) is the elected county council of Nantou County, Republic of China. The council composes of 37 councilors lastly elected through the 2022 Republic of China local election on 26 November 2022. Organization Comm ...

and worked for legislator Hsu Jung-shu before his 1995 election to the

Legislative Yuan The Legislative Yuan () is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for four-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a ...

. Tsai had become the chief executive of the DPP caucus by 2001, rising to caucus whip by 2004. In 2005, Tsai briefly resigned from the legislature to run for Nantou County Magistrate. Starting in 2006, Tsai was the party's spokesman and deputy secretary general. As a legislator, Tsai participated in many discussions pertaining to national defense and has served on the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. In 2010, Tsai aided a Taiwanese man in processing a relinquishment of Bolivian nationality, so he could pursue a military career. The next year, Tsai was one of many DPP politicians to openly accuse China of interfering in Taiwan's elections. After an influx of cheap hairy crabs to the Taiwanese market in 2012, Tsai led calls to investigate the quality of all imported hairy crabs. Later that year, Tsai criticized the United States for linking its beef imports to the

Trade and Investment Framework Agreement A Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) is a trade pact that establishes a framework for expanding trade and resolving outstanding disputes between countries. TIFAs are often seen as an important step towards establishing Free Trade ...

discussions. In 2013, Tsai planned to contest the Nantou County magistracy for the second time, but later ended his campaign. As the

2014 Taiwan food scandal Food safety incidents in Taiwan have received international media scrutiny. There have been several notable food safety incidents in Taiwan, including foods adulterated with chemical agents. 2011: Plasticizer use in food products The most well- ...

unfolded, Tsai berated the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

for ineffectiveness in handling related cases. In 2016, he was invited to serve on the

New Southbound Policy The New Southbound Policy () is an initiative of the Government of the Republic of China, Taiwanese government under President Tsai Ing-wen that aims to enhance cooperation and exchange between Taiwan and 18 countries in Southeast Asia, South As ...

committee.

Political stances

Throughout his legislative tenure, Tsai has been concerned with the state of Cross-Strait relations, specifically the military threat of China, as well as the PRC's economic and diplomatic influence. Ma Ying-jeou and the China-friendly

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

have been a frequent target of Tsai's criticism. Tsai has repeatedly asked the

Ma Ying-jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, t=馬英九; pinyin: ''Mǎ Yīngjiǔ''; ; born 13 July 1950) is a Taiwanese politician, lawyer, and legal scholar who served as the sixth president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. A member of the Kuomintang (KMT ...

administration to protest China's military actions in the Taiwan Strait. After

Su Tseng-chang Su Tseng-chang ( zh, t=蘇貞昌, poj=So͘ Cheng-chhiong, p=Sū Zhēnchāng; born 28 July 1948) is a Taiwanese politician who served as premier of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2019 to 2023. He was the chairma ...

became DPP chairman in 2012 and announced a softening of party policy toward China, Tsai chose to support the new stance. He backs closer

Japan–Taiwan relations The complex relationship between Japan and Taiwan dates back to 1592 during the Sengoku period of Japan when the Japanese ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent an envoy named Harada Magoshichirou to the Takasago Koku (, contemporary name referred to Tai ...

Controversy

The Taiwan High Court found Tsai guilty of bribery in 2011, after eight years of legal action. Upon retrial, Tsai was determined to be innocent of the charges. After further appeals, the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

upheld the High Court's not guilty ruling in 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsai, Huang-liang 1960 births Living people National Chengchi University alumni Democratic Progressive Party Members of the Legislative Yuan Members of the 3rd Legislative Yuan Members of the 4th Legislative Yuan Members of the 5th Legislative Yuan Members of the 6th Legislative Yuan Members of the 7th Legislative Yuan Members of the 8th Legislative Yuan Party List Members of the Legislative Yuan Nantou County Members of the Legislative Yuan