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Recent Leadership and Political Trends in Taiwan*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2009

J. Bruce Jacobs
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Extract

The winds of political change in Taiwan have begun to breathe. In some areas, turnover within the leadership is substantial and the new incumbents are generally both younger and better educated than their predecessors. While Mainlanders, especially those from the Lower Yangtze Valley, dominate the political system, explicit and not insignificant steps are being taken to increase Taiwanese participation. Changes in the status of Chiang Ching-kuo, eldest son of President Chiang Kai-shek, give further indications of his preparation for eventual supreme leadership. A group of intelligent, well-educated and relatively young technical experts have moved into top leadership positions and are having a substantial impact on policy-making. Against this background, constraints on political dissent continue. This article is an attempt to investigate these trends and analyse their importance for the political system on Taiwan. In order to provide the framework for this discussion, the article begins with a brief introduction to the political setting, the central party and governmental organs.

Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 45 , March 1971 , pp. 129 - 154
Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 1971

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References

1 Note on sources: The best printed primary sources for a study of Taiwan politics are newspapers. Chung-kuo shih-pao (China Times) (CKSP) and Lien-ho pao (United Daily News) (LHP), both relatively independent, often contain interesting political commentaries. (Until 1 September 1968 CKSP was Cheng-hsin hsin-wen pao.) The official Kuomintang (KMT) organ, Chung-yang jih-pao (Centrai Daily News) (CYJP), provides the official point of view. The Chinese Information Service (CIS) in New York distributes gratis three useful items: Hsin-wen kao (News Draff) (HWK), a mimeographed hand-written daily release of news cabled from Taiwan and distributed to American Chinese-language newspapers; Tsiu-kuo yi-chou (Fatherland Weekly) (TKYC) (Taipei: China Publishing Company), a 19-page weekly pamphlet of articles reprinted from Taiwan newspapers and news agencies; and Free China Weekly (FCW) (Taipei: China Publishing Company), a four-page digest in English of the week's events in Taiwan.

In order to avoid excessive footnoting, events which were reported in two or more of the above items are generally not cited; the reader desiring more information should check the newspapers for the day following any particular event.

2 For Ninth CC membership see CYJP, 23 11 1963.Google Scholar For Tenth CC membership see press 10 April 1969; TKYC, 13 04 1969, No. 200, p. 3Google Scholar; or FCW, 13 04 1969, p. 6Google Scholar (FCW rank order is incorrect).

3 For 9–5 CSC membership see Cheng-hsin hsin-wen pao, 24 11 1967.Google Scholar For the 10–1 CSC, elected on 10 April 1969, see LHP, 11 04 1969.Google Scholar The 10–2 CSC membership is exactly the same as that of the 10–1 CSC, see press 3 April 1970.

4 For summaries of the resolutions see press, 1 April 1970.

5 For Tenth CAC membership see LHP, 9 04 1969.Google Scholar

6 ROC Constitution, Article 25. For English translation of the constitution see China Yearbook (CY) or China Handbook (CH) (Taipei: China Publishing Company). Chinese copies can be found in Chung-hua min-kuo nien chien (Republic of China Yearbook) (Taipei: Chung-hua min-kuo nien-chien she, annual) or in Tz'u Hai (Sea of Words) (Taipei: Chung-hua shu-chü).

7 For text of Presidential Order, see press, 30 April 1969. The Banana Scandal, which became public in March 1969, also resulted in prison terms of up to eight years for over 50 government officials and businessmen. The scandal was centred in the huge Kaohsiung and Taichung Fresh Fruit Co-operatives which handle the internal and external sale of bananas, Taiwan's second most important export. For size of the co-operatives see CKSP editorial, 9 03 1969.Google Scholar For prison sentences see press 23 August 1969 and 16 September 1969. For list of goldware made in one Taipei shop see LHP, 25 03 1969Google Scholar and for entertainment expenses see LHP editorial, 14 04 1969.Google Scholar For good articles in English, see Glenn, William, “Skinning the Growers,” Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER), 29 05 1969, p. 490Google Scholar; Meadowes, Wolf, “Who is Mister Bananas,” FEER, 11 09 1969, pp. 662, 665Google Scholar; and New York Times (NYT), 24 08 1969.Google Scholar

8 See, for example, LHP reporter, 21 03 1969.Google Scholar

9 For this reasoning see, for example, CKSP, 1 05 1969.Google Scholar

10 See, for example, article by Chang Tso-chin and editorial, LHP, 30 04 1969Google Scholar and CKSP editorial and article, 1 05 1969.Google Scholar

11 See, for example, LHP, 6 05 1969.Google Scholar Hsü is Chairman of the KMT Finance Committee and a CAC member.

12 Both the YP (21–25 July) and the DSP (23 November) held Congresses in 1969, the first in many years, but both remained very split. Both were hurt by the death of important leaders, the YP by the death of Tso Shun-sheng on 16 October 1969 and the DSP by the death of Chang Chiin-mai (Carsun Chang) on 23 February 1969. For accounts of the Congresses and analyses see Chang Tso-chin's articles in LHP, 22 07 and 24 November 1969Google Scholar and Chang P'ing-feng's articles in CKSP, 15 and 24 08, 25 and 30 September 1969.Google Scholar

13 Quote from CY 1966–1967, p. 129.Google Scholar

14 On 24 December Control Branch member Chin Yüeh-kuang urged that the two empty Taiwan Province seats be filled. To show the urgent need, Chin gave statistics showing membership attrition and increasing average age at the same time as the work load is multiplying (LHP, 25 12 1969).Google Scholar

15 Of the 20 Ninth CC members not elected to the Tenth CC, 14 were appointed to the Tenth CAC, one died and one became an alternate member of the Tenth CC. The remaining four either died or vanished into obscurity.

16 Of the four not re-elected, one had died, two were appointed to the Tenth CAC, and one, the former Chief of the General Staff, having been replaced on the CSC by the new Chief of the General Staff, reverted to CC membership only.

17 Age data are missing for 21 of 74 Ninth CC members and for 30 of 99 Tenth CC members (including 16 of the 45 new Tenth CC members). Presumably the missing sample contains primarily younger persons and the average ages given for the CCs are too high. Most age data for CC, CSC and cabinet are from the “Who's Who” section of CY and CH.

18 Various Tenth Congress statistics appear in a 22 March 1969 report of KMT Secretary-General Chang Pao-shu. See press, 23 March 1969.

19 The November 1969 Taipei City Council elections were the first following Taipei's change to province-level status on 1 July 1967 while the December 1969 National Assembly and Legislative Branch elections were unprecedented.

20 FCW, 23 11 1969.Google Scholar The 33 KMT nominees ranged in age from 25 to over 60 and averaged around 40 (LHP, 28 09 1969).Google Scholar

21 Ages of all 26 elected are in election result table, LHP, 21 12 1969.Google Scholar The 20 KMT nominees averaged about 51 years (CKSP, 2 11 1969).Google Scholar

22 Below are some statistics concerning education levels in various Party and govern ment organs. Congress: 3·6 per cent, increase in those having higher education; over 60 delegates with doctoral and over 50 delegates with master's degrees (press, 23 March 1969). CC: press believed new influx signified new talent (e.g., CKSP editorial, 10 04 1969).Google Scholar Taipei City Council: of 33 official KMT nominees, 11 graduated from college or higher, 10 from post-secondary schools, and 12 from senior high schools (LHP, 28 09 1969).Google Scholar Of entire elected Council membership (using somewhat different categories), 27 graduated from college or higher, 10 from senior high, 10 from senior vocational school, and one passed a senior civil service qualifying exam (FCW, 23 11 1969).Google Scholar For more details about KMT nominees for National Assembly and Legislative Branch see CKSP, 2 11 1969.Google Scholar

23 Provincial origins for the six KMT Central Executive Committees (the predecessor to the CC), elected from 1924 to 1945, appear in North, Robert C., Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Elites (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1952), p. 122.Google Scholar

24 See Tables 28 and 29 in Ping-ti, Ho, The Ladder of Success in Imperiai China (New York: Columbia University Press, 1962), pp. 228–229Google Scholar for ranking of chin-shih by province.

25 North, Kuomintang, p. 122.Google Scholar

26 See Eberhard, Wolfram, “Chinese Regional Stereotypes,” Asian Survey (Berkeley, Calif.), Vol. V, No. 12 (12 1965), pp. 596–608.CrossRefGoogle ScholarKessler, Lawrence in “Ethnic Composition of Provincial Leadership During the Ch'ing Dynasty,” Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. XXVIII, No. 3 (05 1969), p. 503Google Scholar, notes that the very high production of Hunan provincial leaders in the late Ch'ing “was an anomaly created by the special conditions consequent to the Taiping rebellion.”

27 List of ambassadors (including two “Permanent Representatives” with ambassadorial rank) in CY 1968–1969, pp. 768–771.Google Scholar

28 Douglas Mendel, a strong supporter of the Taiwanese Independence Movement, gives the impression that the Movement is quite weak. See his book, The Politics of Formosan Nationalism (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1970).Google Scholar

29 The Little League World Series was held from 20–24 August 1969. The team returned to Taipei on 7 September to the greatest welcome ever given in Taiwan. Taiwan's newspaper editors selected the Little League victory as the greatest domestic news story in 1969 (HWK, 27 12 1969, p. 4).Google Scholar

30 See NYT, 23, 25 and 31 01 1970.Google Scholar

31 HWK, 31 01 1970, No. 7.Google Scholar

32 CKSP, CYJP, and LHP, 26 04 1970.Google Scholar See also NYT account, 25 04 1970.Google Scholar

33 Speech given on 23 May 1970.

34 CYJP editorial, 25 05 1970.Google Scholar

35 CYJP, 25 05 1970.Google Scholar The Personnel Administration Bureau was set up in September 1967 in the Executive Branch in response to criticism of the way the Examination Branch conducted examinations.

36 Press, 23 March 1969.

37 Jen-chieh, Kuo in CKSP, 19 09 1969Google Scholar, noted that five Council incumbents from Kiangsu wanted to run as did 10 other Kiangsu persons. But because the new Council had 14 fewer seats, Kiangsu was to get only three seats, making Kiangsu people “nervous.” Chang P'ing-feng reported in CKSP, 25 09 1969Google Scholar, that a few Mainlander members of the central parliamentary bodies were interfering in the nomination process.

38 LHP, 28 09 1969.Google Scholar In choosing the nominees six principles were taken into account according to KMT Secretary-General Chang Pao-shu. The third was: “In order to strengthen the foundation of local autonomy, local people will be considered preferentially; but those from other provinces will not be disregarded.” (CYJP, 28 09 1969Google Scholar; also reprinted in TKYC, 5 10 1969, No. 225, p. 15.)Google Scholar

39 P'ing-feng, Chang in CKSP, 2 11 1969.Google Scholar Nomination lists in press, 2 November 1969.

40 See election table, LHP, 21 12 1969.Google Scholar

41 Tso-chin, Chang in LHP, 30 03 1970.Google Scholar

42 See LHP, 1 07 1970Google Scholar, written two weeks before the appointment was made.

43 Fox Butterfield in NYT, 12 10 1969Google Scholar, reported that the highest Taiwanese officer in the armed forces is a major and that 86 of 14,000 majors are Taiwanese.

44 Tao Pai-ch'uan in LHP, 12 01 1970.Google Scholar Chiang is also head of the Youth Corps.

45 By age Chiang was 17th of 19 in the 9–5 CSC and is now 16th of 21 in the 10–2 CSC. Both before and after the 1969 cabinet changes he ranked 16th of 19 in the cabinet.

46 See, for example, Heng, Yü in LHP, 19 07 1969.Google Scholar

47 While Yen was not a member of the 9–1 CSC elected on 23 November 1963, he was ranked first by President Chiang on the 9–5 CSC (23 November 1967), the 10–1 CSC (10 April 1969) and the 10–2 CSC (2 April 1970). Chiang Ching-kuo was ranked seventh on the 9–1 CSC and second on the 9–5 CSC, the 10–1 CSC and the 10–2 CSC.

48 Chiang Ching-kuo was ranked first for both the Ninth CC and the Tenth CC whereas Yen was ranked sixty-third for the Ninth CC and second for the Tenth CC, a rank determined according to the votes cast by the Congress delegates. Yen had a difficult time getting elected by the National Assembly to the Vice-Presidency in 1966. For analysis of reasons see Lo Huang in LHP, 22 03 1966.Google Scholar Also see Plummer, Mark, “Chiang K'ai-shek and the National Assembly,” in Brown, Sidney (ed.), Studies on Asia, 1967 (Lincoln: The University of Nebraska Press, 1968), esp. pp. 134–135.Google Scholar

49 FEMC appointment announced in LHP and HWK, 26 06 1969.Google Scholar Official FEMC appointment made 31 July (see press 1 August 1969). Official CIECD appointment made 4 August (see press 5 August 1969). For Budget Inquiry Committee, see CKSP, 15 08 1969.Google Scholar

50 CIECD membership includes that of FEMC plus the Secretary-General of the Cabinet, the Taiwan Provincial Governor, the Chairman of the Joint Commission of Rural Reconstruction (JCRR), and three others to be chosen by the Chairman. The FEMC is patterned on a Korean model where the Vice-Premier is also in charge. For origin of using Korean model see LHP, 6 June 1969, reprinted in TKYC, 15 06 1969, No. 209, p. 6.Google Scholar Articles on FEMC and CIECD are quite numerous; some useful ones appear in CKSP and CYJP, 1 08 1969Google Scholar and LHP, 14 08 1969.Google Scholar

51 This point is made in two articles by William Glenn in FEER: “In Father's Footsteps,” 13 March 1969, p. 436 and “The Crown Prince,” 10 July 1969, pp. 107–108. In recent years Chiang has travelled to the U.S. (1963, 1965, 1969, 1970), Korea (1966, 1969), Japan (1967), Thailand (1969) and Vietnam (1970). Glenn notes that Chiang went to Moscow from 1925–37 and 1945–46 on behalf of his father. He also went to the U.S. in 1953.

52 Huang Chieh is 67 years old and a graduate of the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy.

53 See, for example, CKSP, 6 06 1969.Google Scholar

54 Chang P'ing-feng in CKSP, 11 04 1969.Google Scholar See also LHP reporter, 11 04 1969.Google Scholar All ages given in this section are as of time of appointment.

55 General Kao became Personal Chief of Staff to President Chiang on 30 June 1970. His predecessor as Chief of the General Staff, Admiral Li Yü-hsi, lost his CSC seat after he became Personal Chief of Staff to the President (see above, n. 16). A special protégé of President Chiang, Li, 56, was appointed Ambassador to Turkey on 18 June 1970. It should be noted that in recent years positions of leadership within the military have been given definite terms and change does not necessarily mean favour or disfavour.

56 See LHP editorial, 26 06 1969Google Scholar, as well as dispatch from official Chung-yang she (Central News Agency) in same issue. See also LHP editorial of 4 07 1969.Google Scholar

57 HWK, 5 07 1969, No. 7, p. 2.Google Scholar Action soon followed rhetoric; on 11 July it was announced that “the Ministry of Economics has already obtained the agreement of the Ministry of Finance” to allow foreign companies to take capital out of the country (HWK, 11 07 1969, No. 8–3, p. 5).Google Scholar

58 There was expectation that Sun would replace Li as Minister of Economics. However, T'ao was appointed for two reasons: (1) Sun was already a cabinet member and it was desired to bring in new people; (2) Tao's report on the Korean system (see n. 50), made when Secretary-General of CIECD, was very favourably received, and so T'ao was appointed in June. After T'ao's death, Sun's appointment was therefore not unexpected. See two articles in CKSP, 2 10 1969Google Scholar, and LHP, 2 10 1969.Google Scholar

59 Chang's father is Chang Ch'ün, a long-time aide of Chiang Kai-shek. Some observers feel this has slowed his advancement as he does not wish to appear to utilize his father's status.

60 See, for example, CKSP, 5 05 and 6 June 1969.Google Scholar

61 The Party positions and ranks of these economic and financial experts are: Li, CSC, no. 20; Sun, CSC, no. 19; Tao, CC, no. 90; Yü, CC, no. 60; and Chang, not a member of CC.

62 For contents of programme see TKYC, 20 04 1969, No. 201, p. 3Google Scholar which reprints Chung-yang she dispatch of 12 April. For approving editorial see CKSP, 13 04 1969.Google Scholar

63 HWK, 10 11 1969, No. 6, p. 4.Google Scholar

64 See, for example, TKYC, 8 02 1970, No. 243, p. 2Google Scholar, reprinting Chung-yang she dispatch of 31 January; TKYC, 12 04 1970, No. 251, p. 4Google Scholar, reprinting CYJP, 3 04Google Scholar; CYJP editorial, 13 04 1970Google Scholar; TKYC, 26 04 1970, No. 253, p. 12Google Scholar, reprinting LHP, 20 04Google Scholar; FCW, 1 06 1970, p. 4.Google Scholar

65 Yen's removal from Education had been rumoured for months. It was said he did not have the manner of “officialdom” and was often unhappy despite his earnestness and sincerity. See, for example, LHP, 11 04 1969.Google Scholar His appointment to the 10–1 CSC, however, confirmed his high standing. Yen, 's appointment to the National Taiwan University post was approved on 7 05 1970.Google Scholar

66 Ch'ien Ssu-Iiang, former President of National Taiwan University, was appointed on 6 May 1970. The other candidates were Wu Ta-yu, Chairman of the National Science Council, and Yen Chen-hsing.

67 CYJP, 26 06 1969.Google Scholar When interviewed after the announcement, Chung said he had not yet considered what policies he planned to effect. Chung is an alternate member of the CC.

68 In Chinese the term is Chairman (chu-hsi). The Provincial Government is headed by a Council appointed by President Chiang; the Chairman of the Council is the “Governor.” Although the term Governor is used in English, this is incorrect for a Governor (sheng-chang) is popularly elected (Constitution, Art. 113).

69 Li's name was mentioned in Tzu-li wan-pao (Independent Evening News), 12 and 30 04, 1 and 2 May 1969.Google Scholar Economic specialists have been Governors, although not since August 1957.

70 For articles on the shift, see TKYC, 25 05 1969, No. 206, p. 5Google Scholar; TKYC, 6 07 1969, No. 212, p. 7Google Scholar; and HWK, 1 07 1969, No. 9, p. 5.Google Scholar This change was one of the “10 great achievements” of the Taiwan Provincial Government (TPG) in 1969 (TKYC, 2 11 1969, No. 229, p. 12).Google Scholar One of the 10 important measures for the TPG to accomplish in the future is to “strengthen police administration, maintain public security” (Ch'en statement, see HWK, 18 11 1969, No. 1, p. 1).Google Scholar

71 CYJP, 20 06 1969Google Scholar as reprinted in TKYC, 29 06 1969, No. 211, p. 11.Google Scholar

72 The Ministry of Education announced the partial lifting of the restrictions on 21 January 1970. Three points were to be strictly investigated: that (a) the student was pursuing study in the permitted fields, (b) he had a scholarship, and (c) he had a loyalty check by the Taiwan Garrison Command (TKYC, 1 02 1970, No. 242, p. 9).Google Scholar On 7 March 1970 Chinese students studying in Japan told a news conference that the student movement did not affect their studies since most of the disturbances were in the undergraduate sections while they were mostly in graduate school (TKYC, 15 03 1970, No. 247, p. 11).Google Scholar The formal Ministry of Education announcement came on 12 March 1970 (HWK, 12 03 1970Google Scholar, No. 11 and FCW, 15 03 1970, p. 2).Google Scholar

73 NYT, 11 08 1969 and 3 07 1969Google Scholar; Newsletter of the Association for Asian Studies, Vol. XIV, No. 3 (02 1969), p. 60Google Scholar; press release of Amnesty International, London, 27 January 1970.

74 NYT, 25 11 1968.Google Scholar

75 The cartoon depicted Popeye and a boy alone on an island with the boy making fun of Popeye for trying to speak to a non-existent nation. NYT, 3 07 and 7 09 1969Google Scholar; press release of Amnesty International, London, 27 January 1970.

76 Fox Butterfleld in NYT, 22 09 1969.Google Scholar The doctor was arrested when he returned to Taiwan for a marriage arranged by his family to an unseen bride.

77 NYT, 19 12 1969.Google Scholar

78 The brothers' previous applications for ROC passports had been rejected as the Yuyitungs were considered pro-Communist. (Because of Filipino citizenship laws, they could not get Filipino passports.) The brothers asked to go to Hong Kong or Singapore but Hong Kong refused them entry and Singapore did not reply. The CPR said nothing. For pre-deporation reports see LHP, 25 and 26 03 and 23 April 1970Google Scholar; CKSP, 2 04 1970Google Scholar; FEER, 16 04 1970, p. 15.Google Scholar For post-deportation reports see LHP and CYJP, 6 05 1970Google Scholar and FEER ed., 21 05 1970, p. 3.Google Scholar For reports following IPI visit see LHP, 23 05 1970Google Scholar; NYT, 25 05 1970Google Scholar; FCW, 31 05 1970Google Scholar as well as LHP, 25 06 1970Google Scholar and FCW, 28 06 1970.Google Scholar For trial see HWK, 14 08 1970Google Scholar and NYT, 15 08 1970.Google Scholar

79 TKYC, 16 11 1969, No. 231, p. 10.Google Scholar

80 NYT, 11 11 1969.Google Scholar

81 Shapiro, Donald in NYT, 14 12 1969.Google Scholar

82 See TKTC, 17 08 1969, No. 218, p. 15Google Scholar and LHP, 3 11 1969.Google Scholar The group was unable to co-operate in the election and members ran against each other.

83 NYT, 21 12 1969.Google Scholar

84 Tso-chin, Chang in LHP, 21 12 1969.Google Scholar

85 TKYC, 7 12 1%9, No. 234, p. 7Google Scholar, quoting LHP, 28 11 1969.Google Scholar The article listed the good and bad points of investment in Taiwan as seen by Overseas Chinese. New “simplified” visa procedures for Overseas Chinese were given in TKYC, 14 12 1969, No. 235, pp. 17–19.Google Scholar

86 TKYC, 12 04 1970, No. 251, p. 14Google Scholar reprinting LHP, 7 04Google Scholar; TKYC, 31 05 1970, No. 258, p. 6Google Scholar reprinting Chung-yang she dispatch, 22 05Google Scholar; LHP, 29 05 1970Google Scholar partially reprinted in TKYC, 7 06 1970, No. 259, p. 2Google Scholar; TKYC, 21 06 1970, No. 261, p. 4Google Scholar reprinting CYJP, 14 06Google Scholar.

87 LHP, 7 06 1970Google Scholar; CYJP, 7 06 1970Google Scholar as reprinted in TKYC, 14 06 1970, No. 260, p. 14. NT$40=US$1.Google Scholar

88 Mu-hao, Chao in LHP, 9 06 1970Google Scholar; TKYC, 21 06 1970, No. 261, p. 16Google Scholar reprinting Chung-hua jih-pao, 13 06Google Scholar; TKYC, 5 07 1970, No. 263, p. 11Google Scholar, reprinting LHP, 27 06Google Scholar.

89 LHP ed., 12 07 1970.Google Scholar