All about Andrew Hsia Li-Yan, Taiwan's new point man on Mainland policy

Andrew Hsia during his tenure as representative to Indonesia. Image source: viva.co.id

Hsia is a military official and is currently Taiwan's Deputy Minister of National Defense. He was also a former deputy minister of foreign affairs in Taiwan.

As the new Minister of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), his job involves the promotion of cross-strait relations with China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO).

Hsia's appointment comes, after MAC's former head, Wang Yu-chi, had threatened to resign. Wang was protesting a Taiwan court's acquittal of a former deputy who had been accused of leaking confidential information to Mainland China.

Ma Xiaoguan, China's spokesperson for TAO, says he hopes Hsia's appointment will sustain the 'positive interactions' between Taiwan and China, as quoted by China's state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Cross-strait business between Taiwan and China has been described as "most extensive" in six decades. This is being attributed to the administration of Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, who is seen as "friendly" to China.

(China Topix)

Taiwan's incoming minister for handling relations with the mainland, Andrew Hsia Li-yan, appears headed for a trial by fire, with several pressing issues that will likely require his immediate attention. 

At the top of the list is the ongoing row between Taiwan and the mainland over Beijing's unilateral designation of new air routes close to Taiwan's air space, analysts say. 

Hsia will also need to address major issues like future talks with his mainland counterpart, further cross-strait economic co-operation, Taiwan's participation in regional economic blocs and opening a representative office on the mainland, among others, pundits said.

(SCMP)

The 64-year-old Hsia is entering a new realm, having spent most of his career as a career diplomat before he was appointed deputy minister of defense in 2013. 

His former posts include deputy minister of foreign affairs, Taiwan's representative to Indonesia and head of Taiwan's representative office in New York. 

During his more than three years in Indonesia, he actively promoted bilateral trade and cultural and educational exchanges between Taiwan and Indonesia, especially the joint development of the Morotai island project and an industrial park in Jakarta. 

The Executive Yuan appointed him deputy defense minister in 2013, reasoning that although he lacked a military background, it wanted to take advantage of his diplomatic experience to facilitate military procurements and military diplomacy. 

Turning from diplomatic and defense issues to setting policy on China, he will immediately face the thorny issue of China's planned opening of new flight routes in the Taiwan Strait, routes that Taiwan objects to for flight safety and sovereignty reasons. 

Beijing has said that it would put the new routes into practice on March 5. 

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The personnel change is not expected to affect normal interaction between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. However, due to the ruling Kuomintang's (KMT's) losing a large number of seats to the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in November's local government elections, cross-strait relations are entering a complex stage of a three-party tug-of-war involving the KMT, the DPP and the Communist Party of China. 

Obviously, Beijing is psychologically prepared for a scenario in which the pro-independence DPP returns to power in 2016, and has begun to adjust its strategy toward Taiwan. 

On the one hand, Beijing is working to maintain its normal interaction with Taiwan. On the other hand, it has repeatedly emphasized the "1992 consensus" as the basis of cross-strait ties and reiterated its opposition to Taiwan independence. 

A unilateral announcement by Beijing last month to open several new flight routes near the median line of the Taiwan Strait is part of its carrot-and-stick approach toward Taiwan. 

The KMT, meanwhile, has been forced to reexamine its cross-strait policy in the face of mounting skepticism among people in Taiwan toward increased rapport with China. 

What new approach KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) will adopt is the focus of attention of both Beijing and the DPP.

(Focus Taiwan) (2)