Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) on Saturday said that his intent to run for president was motivated by the poor state of cross-strait relations.
Wang made the remarks during a speech to supporters at a reunion at National Tainan First Senior High School, where he said that he “would not run in an election at my age if Taiwan did not need help.”
After beating around the bush for months, Wang, 77, on Wednesday last week said that he would launch a presidential bid next month.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
On Saturday, Wang, who was the legislative speaker from 1999 to 2016, staunchly rejected criticism that he is secretly a pan-green supporter.
Wang said he is “for the KMT and for Taiwan,” and even though he is Taiwanese, he could not reject his ethnic-Chinese “soul.”
“The current state of cross-strait relations is not peaceful. It is nothing like during [former president] Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration, when we had cooperative exchanges and room for discourse,” he said.
Pressure from China to unify is mounting, but neither unification nor official independence can easily be achieved, Wang said, adding that peace could not be maintained without President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) acknowledging the “1992 consensus.”
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The lack of exchanges between Taiwan and China has harmed the public, Wang said, adding that it is his urgent public duty to mend and rebuild the cross-strait relationship.
The “1992 consensus” is just a phrase, but it gives China “face” and gives Taiwan “ambiguous space” to maneuver, he said.
The Democratic Progressive Party’s policies are making Taiwan’s path ever narrower and the US is only acting for its own benefit with regard to Taiwan, he said.
If cross-strait relations were good, the US would not be “so demanding” and Taiwan would have more space to assert its own position, he added.
“Taiwan would not need to do as the US wishes,” he said.
He said he aims to present five demands regarding Taiwan to China “if the two sides agree,” but he would not present the demands in front of the media until there is an agreement “to avoid lots of people giving their views.”
Wang said he had not decided whether he would visit the US to discuss his view.
Such a trip is not a must, as the US regularly sends people to Taiwan to exchange views with him, he said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS