Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) yesterday said that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution calls for “ultimate unification with China,” following Tainan Mayor William Lai’s (賴清德) comment on Wednesday that he supports Taiwanese independence.
The Constitution mandates unification with China, Hung said, adding that the “Guidelines for National Unification” — which had been the nation’s main guiding policy on cross-strait affairs until then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in 2006 declared that they “ceased to apply” — have short, medium and long-term goals.
“At the end of the road, it is unification, be it in 50 years or 100 years,” Hung said.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“However, it should be our initiative to unify [China], rather than being annexed by someone else,” the deputy legislative speaker said.
As the nation cannot launch a unification campaign now, “[we] might as well maintain the status quo,” she said, adding that whether people advocate unification or independence, all do so out of love for Taiwan and do not want to be the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) lackeys.
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) so-called “1992 consensus,” “one China, different interpretations,” and “no unification, no independence and no use of force” policies have achieved their midway goal in maintaining the “status quo,” Hung said, “but it is not enough, and we need to find a [new] way for Taiwan.”
“The feasibility of Taiwanese independence, its consequences and the possible disasters it might incur should be clearly spelled out. The CCP would counter by sealing all of Taiwan’s ways out and its participation in international organizations, which would damage Taiwan without [China] waging war against us,” she said.
Whoever supports Taiwanese independence “should let the public know and see whether they are willing to bear the consequences,” Hung added.
Hung said that Taiwan should first promise Beijing that it rejects independence, but at the same time demand that Beijing acknowledge that there are two separate governing bodies across the Taiwan Strait.
Hung said that what worries her most is that Taiwan would be annexed without dignity, “so finding a way for Taiwan is to look for a breakthrough on the premise of no separation and having a clear cross-strait position.”
For this, she is “not afraid of being labeled or colored red,” she said.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said that he respects Hung’s personal views, but that “discussing unification or independence as an ultimate goal could stir up great controversy.”
“The ROC is an independent, sovereign nation that has control over Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. It is not [appropriate] to talk about unification or independence now,” Wang said, calling for a suspension of the polemic.
Wang on Thursday made a similar comment on Lai’s independence remarks, saying there should be “no room for ambiguity on maintaining the status quo.”
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
More than 8,000 people took part in a rally in Taipei yesterday to express support for more defense spending, after the opposition slashed the Cabinet’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.6 billion) special defense budget and capped it at NT$780 billion. The demonstrators urged the Cabinet to propose another bill. Taiwan Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said the main problem of the passed budget plan is the removal of funding for critical items, not just that the total amount is smaller. Critical budget items included purchasing or developing uncrewed vehicles, Strong Bow (強弓) missile systems, additional ammunition, artificial intelligence-powered combat systems and Taiwan-US
RSS