During his visit to the US, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) met with Republican US Representative Steve Chabot of Ohio, who is cochair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus.
Early this year, a Chinese newspaper criticized KMT Legislator Charles Chen (陳以信), calling him a “secret Taiwan independence advocate” for meeting with Chabot when he visited the US.
By choosing to meet with Chabot, Chu again stepped on Beijing’s toes. One cannot help but wonder: Is he switching to a “pro-US, anti-China” line?
Chabot has long been a firm supporter of Taiwan in the US Congress. While taking part in an event organized by the Formosan Association for Public Affairs in 2014, I had a chance to listen to him speak in Washington, and was moved by his support for the nation.
At a hearing on Taiwan-US relations held by the US, he urged Washington to provide security guarantees to Taipei. He also urged the US government to elevate the level of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director by making congressional approval of the appointment a requirement, and kept calling for the title of Taiwan’s representative office in the US to be rectified.
Chabot also treasures relationships. After visiting Taiwan during former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration, he hung a picture of him with Chen in his office. He visited Taiwan again during former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration to gain an understanding of Chen Shui-bian’s situation in prison due to a corruption scandal.
Because of this, a Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference daily criticized Charles Chen for seeing Chabot. It is impossible for Chu not to know the seriousness of his meeting with the representative, or that his US visit might cause yet more trouble.
When Chu first took over as KMT chairman in 2015, he visited China to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), who cleared his schedule for the meeting amid speculation that Chu would run for president.
However, Chu surprised Beijing afterward by announcing that he would not stand for president. This time, he may have embarrassed Beijing again. Is he truly determined to break up with China?
Yet if Chu really wants to take a “pro-US, anti-China” line, he should first apologize for the KMT’s boycott last year of US pork imports containing the animal feed additive ractopamine, and should first try to reach an internal consensus.
Early this month, Taipei and Washington launched the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade. Although Chu quickly said that the initiative is welcomed, different voices can still be heard within the party, showing that an internal consensus has not yet been reached.
Chu had also sparked an outcry by skipping the KMT primary for the Taoyuan mayoral election. The party was already disappointed with him due to its major defeat in last year’s referendum votes. If his US trip offended Beijing, it might make the internal pro-China force even more uncomfortable and dissatisfied.
Even if Chu survives the local elections at the end of the year, the road to the presidential race in 2024 is still full of uncertainty. As he is no longer trusted by China, if he fails to establish and consolidate the party’s “pro-US” pivot internally, his road to the presidency will be paved with adversity.
Michael Lin holds a master’s degree from National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of National Development.
Translated by Eddy Chang
There is much evidence that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is sending soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and is learning lessons for a future war against Taiwan. Until now, the CCP has claimed that they have not sent PLA personnel to support Russian aggression. On 18 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskiy announced that the CCP is supplying war supplies such as gunpowder, artillery, and weapons subcomponents to Russia. When Zelinskiy announced on 9 April that the Ukrainian Army had captured two Chinese nationals fighting with Russians on the front line with details
On a quiet lane in Taipei’s central Daan District (大安), an otherwise unremarkable high-rise is marked by a police guard and a tawdry A4 printout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating an “embassy area.” Keen observers would see the emblem of the Holy See, one of Taiwan’s 12 so-called “diplomatic allies.” Unlike Taipei’s other embassies and quasi-consulates, no national flag flies there, nor is there a plaque indicating what country’s embassy this is. Visitors hoping to sign a condolence book for the late Pope Francis would instead have to visit the Italian Trade Office, adjacent to Taipei 101. The death of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), joined by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), held a protest on Saturday on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. They were essentially standing for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is anxious about the mass recall campaign against KMT legislators. President William Lai (賴清德) said that if the opposition parties truly wanted to fight dictatorship, they should do so in Tiananmen Square — and at the very least, refrain from groveling to Chinese officials during their visits to China, alluding to meetings between KMT members and Chinese authorities. Now that China has been defined as a foreign hostile force,
On April 19, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) gave a public speech, his first in about 17 years. During the address at the Ketagalan Institute in Taipei, Chen’s words were vague and his tone was sour. He said that democracy should not be used as an echo chamber for a single politician, that people must be tolerant of other views, that the president should not act as a dictator and that the judiciary should not get involved in politics. He then went on to say that others with different opinions should not be criticized as “XX fellow travelers,” in reference to
RSS