Hsu Li-nung, 3-star general, pro-unification activist, dead at 106

Taipei, May 4 (CNA) Hsu Li-nung (許歷農), a former decorated Republic of China (Taiwan) military general and minister of veterans affairs who later became a staunch pro-unification activist, died on Sunday at the age of 106, a source familiar with the matter told CNA.

The unnamed source said Hsu passed away at Taipei Veterans General Hospital at 6:13 a.m., but did not disclose the cause of death.

Born in China's Anhui Province on April 4, 1919, Hsu became a soldier following the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

He also fought in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis and retired as a three-star general.

Hsu then served as veterans affairs minister (today's Veterans Affairs Council) from 1987 to 1993.

He also served on the Kuomintang (KMT) Central Standing Committee. However, due to his opposition to then-President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who also chaired the KMT, Hsu was expelled from the party and co-founded the pro-unification New Party in 1993.

In recent years, Hsu was best known as a pro-unification activist who regularly traveled to mainland China to hold pro-unification gatherings and forums. He was received by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in 2014 and openly expressed his wish to see "a unified China."

Hsu was also one of several retired ROC generals who attended a ceremony in Beijing in 2016, stood for the Chinese national anthem, and listened to a speech by Xi. Their actions led to widespread criticism for a perceived lack of loyalty to their home country.