KMT blind to Taiwan
On a journey from Vancouver to the Canadian Rocky Mountains, we passed through a village popular with tourists — Hope, British Columbia.
“Here, you can see the flags of the countries whose citizens visit this village the most,” our guide told us.
Among the array of flags flying high, two caught my eye: Taiwan’s and China’s, side by side yet hanging on separate poles.
The town clearly recognizes the Republic of China (ROC) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as two distinct countries, affirming the stance that “the ROC and PRC are not under the jurisdiction of each other.”
This principle was long upheld by former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), and is now backed by President William Lai (賴清德). In his inaugural address on May 20, Lai reiterated that “China and Taiwan are not subordinate to each other,” a view that is shared by more than 70 percent of Taiwanese and transcends political parties.
Despite Lai’s factual assertion, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) reflexively responded by calling the words “dangerous” and akin to a “two-state theory.”
How can Taiwan and China be considered the same country? Is the KMT planning on forcing independent Taiwan to mesh with authoritarian China?
Lai made no mistake in his speech, and it is the KMT that is disregarding Taiwanese public opinion.
Democratic countries across the world, including the European Parliament, have acknowledged that Taiwan and China are not under each other’s jurisdiction.
The international community refers to the hostile country that seeks to annex Taiwan as “China.” Yet, the KMT insists on making the absurd demand that the Legislative Yuan adopt the term “mainland.” Given that “China” is embedded in the KMT’s name, it is unsurprising that the Internet is abuzz with suggestions that it rename itself the “Mainland Nationalist Party.”
Differences in national identity are the main source of political tension in Taiwan. The KMT, having fled China and survived solely due to Taiwan’s acceptance, now bites the hand that fed it. While logic dictates that the KMT should have taken root in Taiwan, it is instead scheming to achieve its charter’s objective of unification with China.
The KMT and the Chinese Communist Party share striking similarities, and regard the Democratic Progressive Party as the enemy.
The China-leaning KMT is out of touch with the majority opinion in Taiwan and is at odds with global trends. Such strong rejection to the current trajectory will only lead to its decline.
Additionally, the appalling behavior displayed by KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) in the past few weeks — and the KMT’s subsequent failure to respond appropriately — only supports that idea.
The Legislative Yuan has been surrounded by protesters over the past couple of months, the majority of whom are young people and women. Such scenes serve as a wake-up call for the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party. However, should both parties continue to let their caucus whips run amok, their support is sure to dwindle even further.
Chiu Ping-chin
Taipei
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