Former rights lawyer eyes Taiwan presidency

TAIPEI (Reuters) - From rights lawyer to mayor of Taiwan's second largest city, presidential candidate Frank Hsieh hopes to consolidate his Democratic Progressive Party's hold on power following its first president, Chen Shui-bian.

But unlike Chen, whose pro-Taiwan independence views have angered China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own and occasionally threatens to take it by force, Hsieh has promised to talk with Beijing and relax China-Taiwan investment rules.

Hsieh's relatively low-key manner contrasts sharply with that of Chen, whose frankness about his political ambitions irk even traditional allies such as the United States.

In his campaign for the March 22 election, Hsieh has suggested lowering a controversial limit on how much money Taiwan firms can invest in China and proposed letting Chinese business people invest more in Taiwan.

And he has put more emphasis on Taiwan's growing economic problems than Chen did in previous campaigns, though in recent days he has turned his attention to attacking China following the violence in Tibet.

Hsieh, 61, also comes across as far more combative than his opponent from the Nationalists, Ma Ying-jeou, a telegenic and fluent English-speaking former Taipei mayor who is considered more moderate towards China.

"In contrast to Ma, Hsieh has a reputation for using tough tactics, having worked his way up the ranks as an attorney. He is known for his ability to latch onto his rivals' vulnerabilities and then exploit them relentlessly," said Shane Lee, a professor at Taiwan's Chang Jung University.

KAOHSIUNG MAYOR

But factions in his party, which first captured the presidency in 2000, still oppose any contact with China, a country they consider a continued security threat.

China has claimed Taiwan since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. The two sides are growing closer economically as China's market booms but do not speak to each other formally.

The bespectacled Hsieh has a law degree from the prestigious National Taiwan University and a masters degree from Japan's Kyoto University.

As mayor of Kaohsiung from 1998 to 2005, Hsieh turned the port city of 1.5 million people from a polluted, gridlocked urban sprawl to a greener and more liveable metropolis.

"Not only were problems of people's livelihoods and the city's severe political illnesses tackled one by one, he massively raised citizen's quality of life and sense of pride," Hsieh's snazzy official Web site (www.frankhsieh.com) proclaims.

Like his running mate, Su Tseng-chang, Hsieh has also defended the island's top political dissidents who were once rounded up and jailed for sedition during the martial law era.

Hsieh stepped down as mayor and became Taiwan's premier from February 2005 to January 2006. He ran for mayor of Taipei in late 2006, but lost to the candidate for the main opposition Nationalist Party.

Polls show Hsieh trailing against Ma.

Last year Hsieh was investigated but cleared of graft over funds spent when he was Kaohsiung's mayor.

(Additional reporting by Faith Hung; Editing by John Chalmers)