Authorities in Kinmen County yesterday asked Kaoshiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, to propose a path to cross-strait peace with the outlying county as the focal point, but the Han campaign said that it had no such plans.
Han is to travel to the county on Friday next week and officials suggested that he deliver a speech in Kinmen, which has significance given its geographic and historical background, declaring peace with China.
It would help his campaign, the officials said.
Han campaign spokesman Ye Yuan-zhi (葉元之) said in an interview that there are no plans for such a speech.
Former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) had a peace deal as a plank of his bid to win the KMT presidential primary this year.
Chu said at the time that if he were president, he would invite Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to a summit, ideally at Kinmen Peace Memorial Park, a perfect site to declare permanent peace given its symbolism.
Han’s policy advisers discussed the possibility of a peace declaration, with the initial framework being the “1992 consensus,” but failed to reach a definitive conclusion, one adviser said.
The so-called “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 Beijing that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The adviser said that although a peace declaration would not be problematic per se, as it would be different from signing a peace treaty, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has gone to great lengths to demonize cross-strait policies proposed by the KMT or Han’s campaign team.
The twisting of facts has given people, especially the younger generation, a negative impression of a declaration of peace, so such a speech would not benefit Han in Jan. 11’s elections, the adviser said.
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