A think tank affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) on Friday held an advisory meeting on cross-strait discourse, at which some people said that the party should take a “constructive localization route” that prioritizes Taiwan and its people.
Participants said that the KMT should end its “comprador culture” and rediscover its role as a platform for cross-strait communication, the National Policy Foundation said in a statement.
The KMT cares considerably about the democratization of China, the statement said, adding that only with a democratic China can a democratic Taiwan be ensured.
Cross-strait peace is the key to Taiwan’s protection and thus, when promoting cross-strait exchanges, the KMT should not shy away from advocating China’s democratization, the statement said.
In the Jan. 11 elections, the KMT’s cross-strait stance was criticized as being contrary to the opinion of the majority of Taiwanese, because the KMT has lost the right to interpret the Republic of China’s (ROC) history, Taiwan’s history and cross-strait relations, and has difficulty responding to changes in Taiwan’s sociopolitical environment, the meeting’s attendees said, according to the statement.
As a result, the KMT should proceed from the standpoint of the ROC, find the core value of its cross-strait discourse, rediscover the historical pride of founding the ROC and stand firm on a “constructive localization route” that prioritizes Taiwan and its people so that it can “speak to the people again,” they said.
During the meeting, it was also suggested that the KMT should look at the effect of domestic politics and changes in international circumstances on cross-strait relations, adjust its cross-strait discourse when appropriate, encourage the younger generation to engage in exchanges with China while sharing Taiwan’s experience, inspire different opinions and allow young people to rediscover a “different China.”
There were also people who said that the KMT should quickly restore bilateral communications with the US and Japan, and ally with key democratic nations, so that people do not misunderstand the KMT as only caring about cross-strait relations.
The party chairperson should visit the US, Japan and other nations at least once a year, and resume exchanges with important nations so that the party does not lose the right to speak about foreign relations, they said.
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