Hsu Li-ming

Hsu Li-ming
Name	Hsu Li-ming
Native name	許立明
Birth date	1965
Birth place	Kaohsiung
Nationality	Republic of China (Taiwan)
Occupation	Politician
Party	Democratic Progressive Party
Offices	Acting Mayor of Kaohsiung (2018–2019)

Hsu Li-ming is a Taiwanese politician and public administrator affiliated with the Democratic Progressive Party. He has held senior municipal and party posts in Kaohsiung and at the national level, including a period as acting mayor following the 2018 local elections. Hsu's career spans roles in municipal management, party organization, and public policy, interacting with figures and institutions across Taiwan's political landscape.

Early life and education

Hsu was born in Kaohsiung and raised amid the city's industrial and urban transformation alongside contemporaries who later became active in the Democratic Progressive Party and local civic movements. He attended schools in Kaohsiung before pursuing higher education at institutions associated with public administration and policy studies, including programs that link to National Chengchi University, National Taiwan University, and professional networks connected to the Public Service Commission (Taiwan). During his student years he was exposed to debates tied to the Kaohsiung Incident's legacy, interactions with activists from Tangwai movement-era circles, and forums featuring speakers from institutions such as Academia Sinica and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office alumni. His education combined coursework and internships that connected municipal offices in Kaohsiung with agencies in Taipei and policy think tanks aligned with the Democratic Progressive Party and civic groups influenced by the Sunflower Student Movement.

Political career

Hsu's political trajectory is rooted in local administration and party organization. He served in various capacities within the Kaohsiung City Government, working with mayors from both the Democratic Progressive Party and cross-strait policy interlocutors, and collaborated with municipal bureaus that liaised with national ministries such as the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Taiwan), the Ministry of Economic Affairs (Taiwan), and the Council for Economic Planning and Development. Hsu later held party roles within the Democratic Progressive Party central apparatus, participating in election campaigns that involved coordination with figures like Tsai Ing-wen, William Lai, Chen Chu, and Chang San-cheng-era coalition interlocutors. He engaged in intercity initiatives with counterparts from Taichung, New Taipei, and Tainan, and represented Kaohsiung in dialogues involving the Legislative Yuan, municipal unions, and business associations such as the Taiwan External Trade Development Council.

Hsu also participated in administrative exchanges with foreign municipal delegations from cities including Osaka, Seoul, Tokyo, and port authorities linked to Singapore and Hong Kong, reflecting Kaohsiung's role as a maritime hub. Within party strategy, Hsu worked on electoral planning that intersected with national campaigns for offices like the President of the Republic of China and seats in the Legislative Yuan.

Tenure as Acting Mayor of Kaohsiung

Following the 2018 municipal elections, Hsu assumed the role of acting head of the Kaohsiung City Government during a transitional period, engaging with administrative continuity and crisis management. His interim mayoralty required coordination with agency heads including the Kaohsiung Port Authority, the Environmental Protection Administration (Taiwan), and public utilities that operate under oversight from the Ministry of the Interior (Taiwan). Hsu managed responses to urban challenges that had also been priorities for predecessors and successors, such as infrastructure projects tied to the Kaohsiung MRT, port development plans with the International Maritime Organization-adjacent stakeholders, and cross-strait economic interactions involving Mainland China trade offices and Taiwanese business chambers.

During his acting term he oversaw municipal preparations for festivals and international events that connected Kaohsiung to cultural agencies such as the Ministry of Culture (Taiwan) and to international partners like the Venice Biennale-associated exchanges and sister-city networks including Los Angeles and Istanbul. Hsu's administration maintained working relationships with the Legislative Yuan delegation members from southern constituencies and coordinated with central government ministries on budgetary transfers and emergency response mechanisms exemplified by collaborations with the National Fire Agency (Taiwan) and the Central Weather Administration.

Policy positions and initiatives

Hsu advocated for urban renewal, port modernization, and public service efficiency measures that reflected Kaohsiung's industrial and maritime profile. He promoted infrastructure continuity for projects associated with the Kaohsiung MRT expansion and logistics integration with the Port of Kaohsiung while interfacing with national transport stakeholders including the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Taiwan) and international port partners from Singapore and Busan. Hsu supported environmental remediation programs that aligned with initiatives from the Environmental Protection Administration (Taiwan) and civil society groups active since the Kaohsiung Incident, and favored engagement with academic partners such as National Sun Yat-sen University and National Cheng Kung University for urban research collaborations.

In party affairs he emphasized electoral organization, grassroots mobilization, and policy messaging coordinated with leaders like Cho Jung-tai and Ying-jeou Ma-era cross-strait interlocutors in broader political dialogues. Hsu's initiatives also included workforce development efforts linked to vocational institutions such as National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology and industrial associations including the Kaohsiung Chamber of Commerce.

Personal life and honors

Hsu's personal profile includes connections to civic and cultural institutions in southern Taiwan, affiliations with alumni associations from universities in Taipei and Kaohsiung, and participation in forums hosted by organizations like the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the Civic Party (Taiwan). He has been recognized in municipal contexts for public service continuity and received commendations from city councils and civic groups similar to honors previously awarded to municipal administrators in Kaohsiung and other Taiwanese cities. Hsu maintains public ties to sister-city networks including delegations from Los Angeles and Busan, and remains active in party affairs within the Democratic Progressive Party.

Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:Democratic Progressive Party (Taiwan) politicians Category:People from Kaohsiung