While Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) cross-strait policy has recently been put in the spotlight, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) considers itself to have the upper hand in the issue, underscoring its continued adherence to the so-called “1992 consensus.”
While the DPP has settled on its presidential candidate, the KMT is mired in a nebulous situation where not a single party heavyweight has announced an intention to run for president.
However, a source from the pan-blue camp said that as the KMT’s cross-strait standpoint and policies are relatively clear, it would have an advantage over the DPP in being able to “stabilize the cross-strait relationship” without further explanations and clarifications.
The KMT is thus better than the DPP at promoting cross-strait trust and interaction, the source said.
The majority of Taiwanese support positive interactions and peaceful development, but oppose unpredictability between the two sides across the Taiwan Strait, according to the source, who added that many “economic voters” who travel between the two nations would be expected to think rationally.
“Economic voters” is a phrase used to refer to Taiwanese citizens who hold large financial stakes in China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) earlier this month described the “1992 consensus” as “recognizing that the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China,” to which the KMT did not respond directly.
However, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said in Hong Kong on March 9 that the KMT’s position on cross-strait relations is “sticking to the ‘1992 consensus.’”
The KMT is a fervent believer in the “consensus,” the source said, adding that it remains the foundation of cross-strait mutual trust.
Following Chu’s identification with the “1992 consensus” as the party’s guideline on cross-strait issues, a KMT party member said that the party can be sure that the future KMT presidential candidate — whoever that might be — would fall in line on this position, and the public would be able to distinguish the two parties by their respective cross-strait policies.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both Taiwan and China acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what that means.
In 2006, then-KMT lawmaker Su Chi (蘇起) said that he created the term in 2000 when he was Mainland Affairs Council chairman.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS