Not everyone in the KMT is behind chairman Lien Chan's (
A draft of the KMT's policy platform -- which sets the establishment of a confederation as the goal of cross-strait relations -- triggered heated debate in a meeting of the party's Central Advisory Council yesterday.
Senior party members, led by former premier Lee Huan (李煥), expressed their disapproval of including the confederation proposal in the party's policy platform, saying it goes against the Guidelines for National Unification.
The draft, which has been written in line with Lien's proposal, is being presented for discussion within the KMT for a consensus.
The 16th national congress scheduled for July 29 will also discuss the issue.
Lee, chairman of the council, said that the KMT should put the plan on hold until the definition of "confederation" is further clarified and becomes acceptable to the people.
Lee said most people have the impression that a confederation is an organization similar to the British Commonwealth. He added that by supporting the establishment of such an organization, Taiwan would essentially be foregoing its goal of unifying with China.
But Su Chi (蘇起), convener of the national security section under the KMT's think tank, a former chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council and the one who drafted the policy platform, said that a confederation is an organization that ranges somewhere between a federation and a commonwealth.
Different from the British Commonwealth, a confederation enjoys a higher level of flexibility and can be an alternative to independence or "one country, two systems," Su said.
Su said that since the DPP took power, polls have shown that the support for China's one country, two systems has risen.
Su said that this is because the DPP has not put forth its cross-strait policy, causing the people to lose faith in the government. By raising the confederation proposal, the KMT can put itself in a middle-of-the-road position, Su argued.
Liang Su-yung (梁肅戎), another council chairman, said the KMT should spell out its goal of "unification with China" in the policy platform, in addition to the establishment of a confederation before unification.
Liang also criticized former KMT chairman Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) for saying relations between China and Taiwan were "special state-to-state" in nature.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was
RSS