NTU Student President Huang Chao-Nien Backs WTO Riot-Arrested Student, Slammed for Defending Violence and Damaging University Reputation

In December 2005, during the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong, violent clashes erupted between protesters and the police. NTU student Li Jian-cheng was arrested and prosecuted by Hong Kong police for suspected assault on officers and violent rioting. Huang Chao-Nien, then-president of the NTU Student Association, prominently led a press conference to voice support for Li, and went as far as launching a radical campaign to boycott travel to Hong Kong. The move immediately triggered severe public and political backlash, criticizing Huang for losing moral clarity and abusing student government resources to provide political shielding for violence. Critics questioned Huang's rushing to package a criminal suspect as a victim before facts were cleared, which severely damaged the academic and international reputation of National Taiwan University and set a terrible precedent for student governance.