Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, yesterday unveiled a cross-strait policy white paper, saying he would try to restore cross-strait dialogue if elected president.
Under President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration, trust is lacking between both sides of the Taiwan Strait and in less than four years, Taiwan has lost seven diplomatic allies, Han said during a Facebook livestream.
Describing Tsai’s cross-strait policy as “China-hating, self-serving and damaging to Taiwan,” Han said that he would work to rebuild trust between both sides of the Strait.
Photo: Chang Chung-i, Taipei Times
His vision for cross-strait relations includes defending the nation’s sovereignty by insisting on the “1992 consensus” for rebuilding cross-strait trust, as well as helping to promote China’s democratization to ensure cross-strait peace, he said.
He would also build mechanisms for internal dialogue to form a consensus in Taiwan on cross-strait issues, Han said.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The current cross-strait situation does not offer the conditions for unification or independence, Han said.
“Our generation does not have the right to limit the choices of subsequent generations, and it is our responsibility to create a stronger and more peaceful environment for them,” he said.
He would not allow anyone to harm Taiwan, he said, adding: “If necessary, every citizen, including myself, would protect the sovereignty of the Republic of China with a gun.”
Su, who a policy adviser of Han’s, said the meaning of the “1992 consensus” has been distorted after Tsai linked it to Beijing’s “one country, two systems.”
If Han is elected president, he would restore cross-strait dialogue using the “consensus” as a foundation, Su said.
Under the Tsai administration, national security is facing serious threats from China, Su said.
“I am worried that if Tsai is re-elected, Taiwan would enter a situation equivalent to a volcanic eruption,” he said.
In other developments, KMT Pingtung County Chapter head Liao Wan-ju (廖婉汝) said that Han is planning to visit the county on Wednesday next week on the first stop of a campaign tour.
Han’s campaign office spokeswoman Ho Ting-huan (何庭歡) said that Han is planning to travel throughout Taiwan to consult industries and members of the public on policymaking, but added that no dates have been set.
Additional reporting by CNA
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai