Some Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members yesterday voiced dissent after KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) on Tuesday said that the party leadership has drafted amendments to the party’s policy platform, which is to be discussed at the party’s national congress on Sunday, to align its efforts to strengthen the so-called “1992 consensus” and explore the potential for a “peace agreement” with Beijing.
Hung made the remarks during a televised interview aired by CtiTV on Tuesday evening, saying that she “does not rule out” meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and that the KMT would “explore [a peace agreement with China] after becoming the ruling party.”
The proposed amendments are to be the first high-priority item to be discussed at Sunday’s congress, she said.
While Hung maintained that the amendments and proposed negotiations with Beijing “do not in any way deviate” from the party’s goals, several KMT members expressed contrasting views.
The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday quoted KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) as saying that the precondition for a peace agreement with China is “consensus in Taiwan and sufficient popular support.”
KMT Central Standing Committee member Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) told the United Daily News that it was inappropriate for the party to show initiative in cross-strait issues, adding that view was broadly supported by party members.
“Major policy proposals should be bottom-up discussions. I do not understand why the party leadership is rushing this,” KMT Legislator Lai Shih-bao (賴士葆) told the United Daily News. “At the very least, the party’s rank-and-file members should have been consulted, and the KMT Central Standing Committee should have voted on the issue before it was submitted to the national congress.”
Hung also said that KMT-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forums would be renamed “cross-strait” forums and that the topics of discussion would not be limited to trade and cultural issues, adding that the KMT has a “moral obligation” to engage in diplomacy, as President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) government is “unable to solve cross-strait problems.”
Hung criticized Tsai’s comments about Taiwan’s “naturally independence-leaning” younger generations, saying: “It is an artificial pro-independence sentiment ... [that was] manipulated by politicians who made young people forget about the Republic of China’s history and cross-strait ties to “cut the umbilical cord” between Taiwan and China.”
Those who believe that Taiwan and China are separate countries should amend the Constitution, Hung said.
“Young people who want to change things should be told that they have to pay a price. The forerunners and heroes of the KMT showed fortitude and a willingness to sacrifice everything to overthrow the Qing Dynasty,” Hung said.
“Do they have such will?” the chairwoman asked.
Hung also said that the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例) is “illegal” and “unconstitutional,” adding that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who was expelled from the KMT in 2001, should answer for the disappearance of party assets that occurred during his tenure as president and party chairman.
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted to making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
EIGHT KILLED: Three of the four juvenile victims were children of the man suspected of setting the fire at the tire repair shop after a family dispute Four of the eight people killed in a fire in Hsinchu City on Wednesday night were children and the other four were adults who died while trying to rescue the children from the second floor of the burning building, the city’s Fire Bureau said yesterday. Fire Bureau First Corps commander Chang Chih-chih (張智智) told a news conference that the fire at Zheng Yi Tire Repair Shop on Dongda Road might have been intentionally set by the owner’s son, Chen Yen-hsiang (陳彥翔), who earlier had an argument with other family members. Chen allegedly bought gasoline and lit a fire near four motorcycles inside
FIFA World Cup host Qatar has corrected an online application form that listed Taiwan as part of China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Following the ministry’s protest on Wednesday, “Taiwan” replaced “Taiwan, Province of China” on a dropdown menu on the Web site to apply for a Hayya Card, an identification card all World Cup spectators are required to obtain, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said. “We express our appreciation to the event organizers for their swift response in making the correction and safeguarding the rights of our nation’s fans,” she added. The card also serves as an entry visa for
ALARM GROWS: US officials are concerned that China’s claim that the Taiwan Strait is an internal waterway is a deliberate effort to muddy the legal status of Taiwan US President Joe Biden’s administration has decided to reject a vague new assertion by China that the Taiwan Strait is not “international waters” and is increasingly concerned the stance could result in more frequent challenges at sea for Taiwan, people familiar with the matter said. Chinese officials have made such remarks repeatedly in meetings with US counterparts over the past few months. In the past, while China regularly protested US military moves in the Taiwan Strait, the legal status of the waters was not a regular talking point in meetings with US officials. The timing of the assertion is causing alarm within the
NEW TRAVEL REGIME: The CECC advised people to stay put in between quarantine and self-disease prevention, but said that they could apply for a location change Inbound travelers who need to change locations for the four-day self-disease prevention period following their three-day quarantine must apply with their local government, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. The “one person per household” principle would remain in place under the new “3+4” quarantine policy, which was implemented yesterday, the center said. More than 4,500 incoming travelers were expected yesterday, including more than 980 people who entered Taiwan in the early morning, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), the CECC’s acting spokesman and medical response division deputy head. Lo said many people had asked the CECC whether
RSS