The photograph looks old at first. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Deputy Chairman Sean Lien (連勝文) sits next to China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Director Song Tao (宋濤). There is a sense of familiarity and warmth within the shot, but it also carries an indescribable chill. Some people opened the link thinking it was a retrospective report — after all, it is a bit hard to believe such a meeting could take place now.
The photograph was taken just days ago.
The public meeting was neither impromptu nor unique. It was representative of the KMT’s ideological shift over the past two decades from being anti-communist to pro-communist while acting as if nothing had changed. Many had hoped that people within the party would debate or even resist such behavior. Instead, there is only silence. They have altered the language, redefining “exchange” as “peace” and regarding “peace” as a matter of course.
There are several facets to address when discussing the KMT’s directional shift:
First is the party’s organizational culture. An organization that grew under an authoritarian regime naturally has a limited tolerance for internal dissent. Even after democratization, people within the party remained accustomed to obedience and suppression.
Second is the party’s chronic shift in language strategy. From Lien’s visit to China, former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) negotiations over the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement and his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) last year to this week’s photo — each move was made under the guises of “peace” and “pragmatism.” This is a kind of linguistic anesthesia, a disguise the KMT has used to fool itself and others.
Third is the tacit understanding of the party’s power structure. In the KMT’s local organizations, those who control the resources are the ones who survive. Practical considerations sweep over ideology, interests trump values — no one wants to sacrifice their political future by opposing pro-communist behavior.
At a deeper level is the KMT’s misunderstanding of its own failure. After losing power in 2000, it failed to reflect on the weight of its past authoritarianism, and the growing distance between itself and the public, instead attributing its loss to “too strong an anti-China stance.” This led the KMT to embrace China as a means of survival.
Finally, there is the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) long-term plan for the KMT. It has used soft-power tactics to coax, pacify and envelop the party. The KMT was not forced to align itself with the CCP — it gradually adapted, eventually coming to enjoy the validation.
It is clear that Lien’s trip to China was a product of the system. He did not deviate from the KMT’s path — he represents it. His smile and silence echo the party’s stance.
To this day, no one within the KMT has publicly condemned the trip, nor is anyone willing to distance themselves from the meeting. There is only a widespread calmness, as if the meeting is simply another normal news report.
However, Taiwanese know that it is much more than a political choice — it is also a loss. A political party has lost its sense of identity, its historical memory and its ability to hold itself accountable to its supporters.
The photo of Lien and Song continues to circulate online, but it is no longer just a piece of news — it is visual proof of a soul departed, a Victorian death photograph, a memento mori. The KMT might continue to shout: “Republic of China,” but the sound of its marching is becoming fainter by the day, moving further away.
This is not only betrayal, but also forgetfulness.
Liu Che-ting is a writer.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
In the event of a war with China, Taiwan has some surprisingly tough defenses that could make it as difficult to tackle as a porcupine: A shoreline dotted with swamps, rocks and concrete barriers; conscription for all adult men; highways and airports that are built to double as hardened combat facilities. This porcupine has a soft underbelly, though, and the war in Iran is exposing it: energy. About 39,000 ships dock at Taiwan’s ports each year, more than the 30,000 that transit the Strait of Hormuz. About one-fifth of their inbound tonnage is coal, oil, refined fuels and liquefied natural gas (LNG),
On Monday, the day before Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) departed on her visit to China, the party released a promotional video titled “Only with peace can we ‘lie flat’” to highlight its desire to have peace across the Taiwan Strait. However, its use of the expression “lie flat” (tang ping, 躺平) drew sarcastic comments, with critics saying it sounded as if the party was “bowing down” to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Amid the controversy over the opposition parties blocking proposed defense budgets, Cheng departed for China after receiving an invitation from the CCP, with a meeting with
To counter the CCP’s escalating threats, Taiwan must build a national consensus and demonstrate the capability and the will to fight. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) often leans on a seductive mantra to soften its threats, such as “Chinese do not kill Chinese.” The slogan is designed to frame territorial conquest (annexation) as a domestic family matter. A look at the historical ledger reveals a different truth. For the CCP, being labeled “family” has never been a guarantee of safety; it has been the primary prerequisite for state-sanctioned slaughter. From the forced starvation of 150,000 civilians at the Siege of Changchun
The two major opposition parties, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), jointly announced on Tuesday last week that former TPP lawmaker Chang Chi-kai (張啟楷) would be their joint candidate for Chiayi mayor, following polling conducted earlier this month. It is the first case of blue-white (KMT-TPP) cooperation in selecting a joint candidate under an agreement signed by their chairpersons last month. KMT and TPP supporters have blamed their 2024 presidential election loss on failing to decide on a joint candidate, which ended in a dramatic breakdown with participants pointing fingers, calling polls unfair, sobbing and walking
RSS