The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) originally employed the “1992 consensus” lie — which says that there is “one China, with each side having its own interpretation” of what that China is — to prop up the Republic of China’s (ROC) statehood for the public.
Using the non-existent consensus, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said that the ROC and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) exist under the “one China” roof.
However, the truth is that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), although it often echoes the consensus just to suppress “Taiwanization,” sees the PRC as the sole representative of China. The “one China, different interpretations” framework leans toward the PRC and therein lies the source of Ma’s failure.
The pro-Taiwan camp, led by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and the pro-China camp see the nation as one ROC, with each side having its own interpretation of what that ROC is.
According to the pro-China camp, the ROC is China, while the pro-Taiwan camp sees it as Taiwan.
As a result, the two sides have different interpretations of, and take different positions on, DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) proposal to maintain the “status quo.”
However, since the KMT’s “one China” leans toward the PRC, while “one ROC” leans toward Taiwan, the KMT comes up short on both counts and Tsai stands to benefit from this situation.
The KMT used to use its policy of maintaining the “status quo” to suppress the DPP and the rest of the pro-Taiwan camp, but this has now turned into a powerful weapon in the hands of the DPP. No matter how hard the KMT wants to monopolize the slogan and how hard Ma wants to take credit for it, they can no longer restore the public’s trust in its legitimacy.
The “status quo” means that Taiwan does not belong to the PRC — which has been hijacked by the CCP — nor does it belong to China, which the CCP has made its own. This is a result of political realities.
Maintaining the “status quo” is a rather conservative stance.
However, this is the character of the Taiwanese society that has been shaped by the KMT’s pro-China educational policies and the media after World War II. Despite being so conservative, Taiwan, a nation whose official title is the Republic of China, belongs to Taiwanese, not to China.
When the KMT says that it will maintain the “status quo,” it means that it will lean toward the China. Taiwanese, and even many of the Mainlanders who relocated to Taiwan with the KMT in the hope of finding a real nation, freedom, democracy, fairness and justice, find it impossible to understand the political direction of a party that is heading to a dead end.
By taking into account the “status quo” that says the ROC does not belong to China, perhaps Taiwanese can continue their efforts at reforming and reconstructing the nation. This would be a self-elevation movement for all Taiwanese who pin their hopes on the nation regardless of when they arrived here.
Based on the democratization movement that has already taken hold in the nation, yet another beautiful chapter in Taiwan’s peaceful revolution is set to be written.
No matter how hard the KMT wants to beautify or hide its goal of eventual unification — which in fact means surrendering to China — Taiwanese will no longer believe the party’s lies.
Will the KMT be able to save itself simply by replacing a presidential candidate who has exposed the party’s true face?
Without fundamental changes to the party’s character, what is the use? Why even bother?
Lee Min-yung is a poet.
Translated by Eddy Chang
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then