Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) headquarters is getting impatient with unilateral discourse on China issues from presumptive party presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and plans to speak with her soon, party sources said.
During a TV interview on Thursday, Hung said her “one China, same interpretation” formula aims to have Beijing recognize the existence of the “government” of the Republic of China (ROC), rather than the “existence” of the ROC, which would constitute a “two-state theory.”
Hung’s formula is apparently at odds with the so-called “1992 consensus” — a supposed tacit understanding between the KMT and Beijing that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Photo: CNA
KMT Secretary-General Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) has said that the “1992 consensus” is entrenched in draft amendments to KMT policy guidelines that seek to realize a “five-point vision” put forward by former vice president and then-KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and then-Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) in 2005.
The five-point vision proposal includes the promotion of cross-strait economic exchanges, the termination of cross-strait animosity and the establishment of regular party-to-party communications platforms.
The draft amendments — pending approval at the party’s national congress scheduled for July 19 — would be the central platform on which all KMT candidates must base their election campaigns, Lee said.
Hung’s campaign office spokesperson Jack Yu (游梓翔) said that her policies — despite being worded differently — “are completely aligned with the ‘1992 consensus’ and the five-point vision as stipulated in the draft amendments.”
Hung has called on Beijing to recognize the existence of the ROC, a position espoused by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) without being highlighted as Hung has done, Yu said.
The KMT has reportedly been urging Hung to tone down her speeches and put less emphasis on cross-strait relations to avoid controversies, while focusing her campaign on garnering support at the grassroots level.
Hung, rather than exposing her vulnerability with the “one China, same interpretation” formula, should base her position on the “1992 consensus” and exploit the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) perceived weakness in its China policy — a strategy formulated by KMT Mainland Affairs Department director Kao Koong-lian (高孔廉) that Hung promised to maintain, but apparently has failed to do, party sources said.
The KMT caucus and a KMT think tank have set up a task force to assist Hung’s campaign, but the party is at a loss to help her with her repeated mistakes, the sources added.
A number of KMT legislators representing districts in central and southern Taiwan have raised concerns over Hung’s controversial remarks, party sources said, adding that Hung had called for a KMT caucus meeting to clarify her stance, but the initiative might not succeed, as the Legislative Yuan is in recess.
“The election is not an academic seminar, nor where a party’s direction is put to debate,” a pan-blue camp critic said, adding that Hung has sacrificed a winning hand against the DPP by throwing the KMT’s China policy into disorder and creating confusion among neutral voters.
The former DPP administration radicalized its cross-strait narrative in its final term in office, which — coupled with its failed administrative efforts — contributed to its defeat in the 2008 presidential and legislative elections, the critic said, asking whether the KMT could afford to repeat that mistake.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese