Amid intensifying public anxiety over controversial cuts to the central government budget by the opposition-led legislature, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) on Tuesday last week convened a cross-caucus meeting, hoping to reduce political differences and possibly salvage the budget. However, his comrade — Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) — skipped the meeting, showing up instead at a travel fair in Hong Kong and even claiming to represent “Taiwan’s central government” at a dinner party with Hong Kong lawmakers and political figures closely associated with China’s United Front Work Department.
Fu said the trip was to promote tourism in his hometown, Hualien, but his prioritizing a meeting with China-sympathetic Hong Kong politicians over a meeting at home to solve a problematic budget that threatens to paralyze the government has sparked wide criticism. His boast about representing the Taiwanese government also revealed his determination to restrain President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration through his domination and manipulation of the opposition-led legislature.
Since being elected as the KMT caucus whip last year, Fu has visited China, including Hong Kong, at least four times. His trips have repeatedly raised concerns about unequal and unjust engagement with China, especially as these trips were followed by further political turmoil that served to promote Chinese interests in Taiwan.
In April last year, despite a strong earthquake and aftershocks severely damaging his constituency, and while the legislature was in session, Fu led a group of pro-China KMT lawmakers to China and met with Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧), joining his host in touting “united front” slogans such as “Taiwan and China are one family,” and “both should recognize the ‘1992 consensus’ and the ‘one China principle.’” After the trip, Fu and his fellow KMT legislators sped up the passage of controversial amendments to expand the legislature’s power — most of which the Constitutional Court later declared were unconstitutional — and intended to amend the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) that is aimed at deterring Chinese infiltration and influence.
Chinese dissident writer Yuan Hongbing (袁紅冰) in February last year warned that communist China’s latest “united front” strategy involves making use of KMT legislators, especially Fu and Han, to introduce bills that would cause chaos in the legislature and reduce the effectiveness of the Democratic Progressive Party government. Fu’s frequent visits to China and the opposition’s successive promotions of controversial laws that have fueled public discontent validate such a warning.
Fu’s China trips have also been viewed as a move to usurp party power so he could become the KMT’s top representative in meeting and interacting with Chinese authorities. For instance, after last year’s legislative elections, Fu declared his intention to compete for the legislative speaker’s seat — in a deliberate move to challenge Han, who had announced his bid the day before. Moreover, since being elected as KMT caucus whip, Fu has frequently sidestepped KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Han to promote his own agenda. These clearly show Fu’s ambition to grab more power.
Not surprisingly, when asked about Fu’s absence at the cross-party meeting, Han said: “Oh, Little Fu? He is really ‘big’ now.”
Likewise, Han skipped a KMT legislative agenda meeting hosted by Fu this week.
A nationwide campaign to recall controversial lawmakers is in full swing. The public should see through Fu’s words and actions that threaten Taiwan’s safety and stability, and be wary of a party dominated by figures who kowtow to China.
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