On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the founding of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party, former party chairman Hsu Hsin-liang offered blunt criticism of and hopes for the governing DPP, in a tone that affirmed its historical achievements while warning that the next stage cannot be carried by past credit alone.

• The DPP has gone from a democracy movement to long-term governance, and could even remain in power for another 20 years; but the greater its advantage, the greater its responsibility to be inclusive of different ethnic groups.
• His core criticism concerns ethnic nationalism: Taiwan is home to Hoklo, Hakka, Indigenous peoples and people of other backgrounds, and national identity must be built on shared values and interests rather than on language or bloodline.
• The DPP's three advantages are its historical credit for democratization, the demographic structure underpinning localist politics, and social welfare policies such as the old-age pension and long-term care.
• Central government power is decided by swing voters and economically minded voters, who in the past worried that the DPP did not understand the economy; Tsai Ing-wen was able to win on the strength of her expertise in international trade and economics.
• On cross-strait relations, he reiterated that the 1990s "Go West Boldly" policy was far-sighted, and also affirmed that the current DPP government's choice to side with the United States amid US-China confrontation is the correct one.

Outlook: The DPP's next generation needs to cultivate "governing experts" who understand the constitutional system and the international situation, and to put forward a clear national narrative, in order to hold on to its position of long-term governance.