Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate and Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday pledged to defend peace and boost military cooperation with the US if elected president.
Aiming to make Taiwan a “peace defender,” Han has instructed his national security and defense advisory team to begin a series of communications with the US, Han’s campaign office said in a statement, after US President Donald Trump’s administration approved a plan to sell updated F-16 jets to Taiwan.
In the statement, released in English and Chinese, Han thanked Trump for approving the sale and promised to bolster Taiwan-US security and military cooperation if elected president.
Photo: CNA
Han strongly believes in the idea of “peace through strength,” advocated by Trump and former US president Ronald Reagan, and supports the regular replacement of obsolete weapons systems to improve the nation’s military capabilities, the statement said, adding that maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait and ensuring stabler and happier lives for Taiwanese are his primary objectives.
Only by maintaining cross-strait peace and being armed with strong defense capabilities can the Republic of China ensure its sovereignty, security and economic prosperity, the statement quoted Han as saying.
While the Democratic Progressive Party administration has been working to improve the nation’s military capabilities, it has also created conflict between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, Han said, adding that he would aim to resolve those conflicts.
The statement was released in the wake of Han’s announcement that he plans to visit the US in the fall.
On Sunday, Han said he hopes to visit the US some time from next month to October to meet with US officials, business leaders and Taiwanese expatriates.
New Power Party caucus whip Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) yesterday said that Han’s statement shows he is struggling with his election campaign.
“Han is obviously aware that he cannot win the election with just his hardcore fans, so he is trying a different approach in an attempt to win the hearts of independent voters,” Hsu wrote on Facebook.
While the statement suggests a drastic change from his previous pro-China stance, “if Han really has guts, he should also issue statements to condemn the police violence in Hong Kong and to support the anti-extradition bill protests,” Hsu said.
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