The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday urged Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leaders to make clear their positions on the proposed suspension of the party’s so-called “Taiwan independence clause.”
The independence clause is an article in the DPP’s charter that calls for the establishment of a Republic of Taiwan.
Beijing has always said that the clause is a primary roadblock to engaging with the DPP.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) proposed on Thursday that the party abandon the clause in order to strengthen communications with China, sparking confusion over the DPP’s China policy and its position on independence.
KMT spokesman Yang Wei-chung (楊偉中) said yesterday that DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) should say whether they believe the clause remains a core value for the DPP.
“The Republic of China [ROC] is a sovereign country, and if the proposed suspension of the clause means that the DPP is moving closer to [recognition of] the ROC, the KMT would welcome such a transition,” he said.
Yang said the clause, which calls for a referendum on the creation of a Republic of Taiwan is not in line with public opinion or international reality.
“The DPP has participated in elections under the ROC’s constitutional system and was in power for eight years, but is still unable to face reality,” he said.
Su and many DPP members have shrugged off Ker’s proposal.
Suspending the clause, Su said, is a non-issue because the DPP views Taiwan as an independent and sovereign country given the constitutional amendments, presidential elections and legislative elections that have taken place over the years.
Yang said that since the DPP has not abolished the clause, it remains important for the party.
The party’s poor handling of the clause, he said, reflects the lack of consistency and the instability of its cross-strait policies.
Meanwhile yesterday, former minister of defense Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) said he was disappointed with Ker’s proposal, saying “it was inappropriate at this time that Ker should propose an amendment that dances to China’s tune.”
Tsai made the remarks at an event jointly hosted by the Taiwan United Nations Alliance and the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan.
Executive-director of the DPP’s Policy Research Committee, Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), who also took attended the event, said many were surprised by Ker’s “personal views” expressed during the party’s meeting on China policy on Thursday.
Wu added that Taiwan is an independent sovereign state, evident by its direct presidential and legislative elections and conscription system.
Additional reporting by Chen Ching-min
Taiwanese paleontologists have discovered fossil evidence that pythons up to 4m long inhabited Taiwan during the Pleistocene epoch, reporting their findings in the international scientific journal Historical Biology. National Taiwan University (NTU) Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology associate professor Tsai Cheng-hsiu (蔡政修) led the team that discovered the largest snake fossil ever found in Taiwan. The single trunk vertebra was discovered in Tainan at the Chiting Formation, dated to between 400,000 and 800,000 years ago in the Middle Pleistocene, the paper said. The area also produced Taiwan’s first avian fossil, as well as crocodile, mammoth, saber-toothed cat and rhinoceros fossils, it said. Discoveries
Taiwanese paleontologists have discovered fossil evidence that pythons up to 4m long inhabited Taiwan during the Pleistocene epoch, reporting their findings in the international scientific journal Historical Biology. National Taiwan University (NTU) Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology associate professor Tsai Cheng-hsiu (蔡政修) led the team that discovered the largest snake fossil ever found in Taiwan. A single trunk vertebra was discovered in Tainan at the Chiting Formation, dated to between 800,000 to 400,000 years ago in the Middle Pleistocene, the paper said. The area also produced Taiwan’s first avian fossil, as well as crocodile, mammoth, sabre-toothed cat and rhinoceros fossils, it said. Discoveries
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
RSS