Kaohsiung City Mayor Han Kuo-yu recently attended a closed-door seminar at Harvard University's Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, where he spoke about the "Han wave" and how he won the mayoral election. He attributed his win to the people's dissatisfaction with an ineffective government, and criticized the empty cross-strait policies of the Tsai Ing-wen administration.
Harvard University's Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies invited Kaohsiung City Mayor Han Kuo-yu to attend a closed-door seminar during his visit to the United States. Han gave the first speech of his trip during this seminar in front of 30 or so attendees.
What brings me to Harvard today is the fact that last November, I won an election in southern Taiwan that nobody thought I could possibly win. Besides, people are saying that I singlehandedly reshaped the politics of Taiwan. They are calling this widespread political current the "Hanliu" or "Han wave."
The mayor mentioned the "Han wave" at the start of his talk, but added that it's not something he believes in. He attributed his election win to the people's dissatisfaction with the government.
The people of Taiwan dislike not just the DPP, but they are tired of all of the traditional politicians, especially those politicians who come up with fancy slogans and empty promises. They don't know and they don't care what the people really need.
With regards to the cross-strait relationship, Han said it's important for there to be peace instead of war, and therefore he recognizes the 1992 Consensus, which asserts that there is one China, but the two sides can interpret the meaning of one China according to their own definition. He added it is not the same as "one country, two systems," and criticized the Tsai Ing-wen administration for its empty cross-strait policies.