Xu Jiaqing, chairman of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Council, has always been known in the political arena for his outspoken personality. During his tenure as a congressman and deputy secretary-general of the Democratic Progressive Party, he often made controversial remarks. Now, because it was revealed that he used his privileges to let his son land on Dongsha Island, took his son to pretend to be a "photographer" and went on a business trip to Europe, and acquiesced in his husband's private use of official cars of foreign embassy in the United States and other behaviors of public property and private use, he sadly resigned and stepped down, temporarily leaving the cabinet.
Looking back on Xu Jiaqing's past political career, when he was a Taipei City Councilor in 2015, when he went to the United States to give a speech at an overseas Chinese banquet, he publicly revealed that former President Chen Shui-bian collected huge political donations from builders. Later, when he served as deputy secretary-general of the Democratic Progressive Party, he also said that "823 was the Communist Party fighting against the Kuomintang." He questioned the significance of commemorating the 823 artillery battle, sparking controversy.
After entering the cabinet and taking charge of the affairs of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee in 2020, Xu Jiaqing is proficient in various overseas Chinese affairs and is widely praised by overseas Chinese from all over the world. At the same time, she did not change her past personality. When she heard that KMT Chairman Cheng Lai-man went to the United States to host an overseas Chinese banquet to welcome Chinese overseas Chinese, she bluntly said that it was "very unusual." The legislator did not do his homework and did not know how to ask for money. He said, "If they don't know how to be a legislator, I can teach them." After publicly responding to the controversy over privileges, he also spoke out privately in front of various reporters, criticizing certain media for writing "fake news."
When it was recently revealed by the People's Party that the Supervisory Yuan corrected Xu's decision to allow her son to land on Dongsha Island, Xu Jiaqing answered the reporter's call and immediately explained eagerly that she had not received any information from the Supervisory Yuan. She asked, "Which law stipulates that whistleblowers can get things first?"
Xu Jiaqing has always been very good at fighting back and rebutting accusations. He is a political officer in the current cabinet with a strong fighting personality and extremely bold and direct speeches. He retains a strong folk style.
Xu Jiaqing's sharpness, which is different from that of mainstream political affairs officials, also made her choose to fight back head-on with statements such as "Family gatherings at their own expense is a basic human right in a democratic society" when faced with the People's Party Group questioning her privileges and conniving a family of three to "parasitize the Overseas Chinese Committee", ignoring the public perception.
As Xu Jiaqing said in her resignation press conference today, "I will never do anything I don't want to do; I won't say anything I don't want to say; but I can't help but say something I want to say." This is her bad habit.
Xu Jiaqing's usual style is to be tactless and speak out boldly. He believes that what he does is in compliance with the regulations, and then straightens his back and defends himself to the end. However, he forgets that for political officers, in many cases, social perception is far more important than right and wrong. Xu Jiaqing also admitted today that such bad habits will not be welcomed in officialdom. Since he is unwilling to change himself to cater to the officialdom, perhaps the political officer is not the most suitable role for Xu Jiaqing in the political arena.
