Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday dismissed speculation that he is planning to take a back seat to former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) to increase Wu’s chance of winning the party’s chairperson election in May.
Hau made the remarks during an interview at Taipei-based Pop Radio, in which he was quizzed about the KMT’s May 20 chairperson election and his future endeavors.
“Regarding allegations that I might withdraw from the race because of Wu, that is definitely not the case,” said Hau, who announced his bid earlier this month. “All candidates should know that we should all give our all and must not engage in any match-fixing attempts. I hope this race can change the KMT’s ‘fixer culture.’”
Photo: Lee Ya-wen, Taipei Times
Speculation about Hau’s potential withdrawal emerged after he pledged in his candidacy announcement to withdraw from the election if a candidate would promise not to use the leadership post as a stepping stone for their political career and help find the best candidates for next year’s local elections and the 2020 presidential race.
Asked whether his ultimate plan is to run for a mayoral post in the local elections, Hau said all that matters is finding good candidates who have a good chance of winning.
Separately yesterday, Hau expressed his support for “peaceful cross-strait unification” during a telephone interview with Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television, stressing that by “peaceful” he meant no one would be compelled.
The unification Taiwan hopes for is one that occurs when both sides of the Taiwan Strait are free, democratic and prosperous, Hau said, adding that no timeline should be placed on the issue.
Asked whether he acknowledges that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are part of “one China,” he said Beijing should first face up to the existence of the Republic of China.
“The ‘1992 consensus’ and the ‘one China, different interpretations’ formula are the maximum consensus among the 23 million people of Taiwan,” Hau said, adding that the KMT has also supported stable and friendly cross-strait interactions.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means. Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 said that he made up the term in 2000.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiao-kuan
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