Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), who is vying for the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential nomination, yesterday reiterated his opposition to a Taiwanese version of Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula.
Han on Saturday at a rally in Yunlin County’s Douliou City (斗六) told supporters that “‘one country, two systems’ can never be implemented in Taiwan.”
“Taiwanese can never accept it, unless it is over my dead body,” he added, saying the phrase “over my dead body” in English.
Photo: Ge Yu-hao, Taipei Times
Han led the crowd in chanting “reject ‘one country, two systems’” and asked his supporters to have faith in him.
“If I am given the opportunity to lead the Republic of China [ROC] and become president ... I promise that ‘one country, two systems’ will never be carried out on the land of Taiwan,” Han said.
Han yesterday told reporters that his stance has not changed.
He said that in April when he was asked by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Kaohsiung City Councilor Lin Chih-hung (林智鴻) about the issue at a question-and-answer session at the Kaohsiung City Council, he said: “With my hand on my heart — I support the ROC and oppose ‘one country, two systems.’”
“My position has never changed. Some people have been trying to paint me with a red brush; I do not understand what they are thinking,” he said.
Han’s opponents have accused him of being pro-China and reluctant to criticize Beijing.
In March, he visited China’s liaison offices in Hong Kong and Macau while signing trade deals there, and politicians from the DPP and other parties accused him of supporting the “one country, two systems” framework.
“When have I ever said I would accept the ‘one country, two systems’ formula?” Han asked the crowd on Saturday. “It is impossible for Taiwanese to accept the ‘one country, two systems’ model used in Hong Kong and Macau. Absolutely impossible.”
Organizers estimated that more than 120,000 people attended the rally, while Yunlin police did not provide an estimate.
It was the third large rally to support Han’s presidential bid, following a gathering in Taipei on June 1 and another in Hualien on June 8.
Han is one of five people expected to participate in the KMT’s primary to choose a candidate for the presidential election in January next year.
The party plans to select its candidate based on the results of public opinion polls, which are to be conducted by five polling firms from July 8 to 14.
The results are to be announced on July 15.
Additional reporting by Ge Yu-hao
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
RSS