On Nov. 8, newly elected Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) and Vice Chairman Chi Lin-len (季麟連) attended a memorial for White Terror era victims, during which convicted Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spies such as Wu Shi (吳石) were also honored.
Cheng’s participation in the ceremony, which she said was part of her efforts to promote cross-strait reconciliation, has trapped herself and her party into the KMT’s dark past, and risks putting the party back on its old disastrous road.
Wu, a lieutenant general who was the Ministry of National Defense’s deputy chief of the general staff, was recruited by the CCP to spy on the KMT. He was executed in 1950 after being convicted as a spy.
Wu leaked crucial military intelligence, including the military deployment plan in the Huaihai Campaign (淮海戰役), which resulted in the KMT’s crushing defeat and the deaths of more than 550,000 Nationalist Army troops.
While Wu was convicted as a traitor in Taiwan, Beijing has long praised him as a “martyr” who contributed to the CCP’s takeover of China. This year, Chinese state media even released a TV series propagating Wu’s espionage work in Taiwan as a “noble act to promote cross-strait unification.”
It is ironic that Cheng, as KMT chair, showed up at a ceremony hosted by the pro-unification Taiwan Political Victims Mutual Aid Association to commemorate political victims of the White Terror era, and to publicly honor Wu and other spies as martyrs. Her action could damage the KMT, as it not only shone light on the ugly history of the party’s authoritarian rule, but also aligned with China’s propaganda regarding the CCP defeating the KMT to occupy the mainland.
Cheng is blurring right and wrong by lumping together political victims and treasonous spies.
The KMT has blocked the promotion of White Terror-related compensation measures, such as the Regulations for the Organization and Operation of the Review Committee for Judicial Misconduct and Administrative Misconduct During the Period of Authoritarian Rule (司法不法及行政不法審查組織條例). Meanwhile, Cheng is commemorating Wu, using White Terror victims as a pretext to echo the CCP’s distortion of the Chinese Civil War to vilify the KMT and belittle Taiwan.
On top of Cheng’s previous comments, such as “making all Taiwanese proud to be Chinese” and “Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a dictator,” Cheng giving tribute to Chinese spies shows she is pro-China and pro-unification, and oblivious to Taiwan’s dignity and de facto independence.
Cheng has not only drawn public criticism, but also raised doubts within her own party. Former KMT legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) said the party might as well change its name to the “Chinese Nationalist Surrender Party.”
A poll released on Tuesday by the Taiwan Opinion Foundation found that more than 50 percent of Taiwanese see the KMT as a pro-China party, and not an anti-communist force. More than 52 percent also believed the party is untrustworthy.
A democratic society could allow different perspectives of history, but it should not tolerate the deliberate confusion of basic values of national identity and fidelity. Cheng’s goal of so-called “cross-strait reconciliation” should not come at the expense of Taiwan’s sovereignty and dignity.
Cheng and the KMT should face history and remember that dancing with the devil only leads to a disastrous fate.
The cancelation this week of President William Lai’s (賴清德) state visit to Eswatini, after the Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius revoked overflight permits under Chinese pressure, is one more measure of Taiwan’s shrinking executive diplomatic space. Another channel that deserves attention keeps growing while the first contracts. For several years now, Taipei has been one of Europe’s busiest legislative destinations. Where presidents and foreign ministers cannot land, parliamentarians do — and they do it in rising numbers. The Italian parliament opened the year with its largest bipartisan delegation to Taiwan to date: six Italian deputies and one senator, drawn from six
Recently, Taipei’s streets have been plagued by the bizarre sight of rats running rampant and the city government’s countermeasures have devolved into an anti-intellectual farce. The Taipei Parks and Street Lights Office has attempted to eradicate rats by filling their burrows with polyurethane foam, seeming to believe that rats could not simply dig another path out. Meanwhile, as the nation’s capital slowly deteriorates into a rat hive, the Taipei Department of Environmental Protection has proudly pointed to the increase in the number of poisoned rats reported in February and March as a sign of success. When confronted with public concerns over young
Taiwan and India are important partners, yet this reality is increasingly being overshadowed in current debates. At a time when Taiwan-India relations are at a crossroads, with clear potential for deeper engagement and cooperation, the labor agreement signed in February 2024 has become a source of friction. The proposal to bring in 1,000 migrant workers from India is already facing significant resistance, with a petition calling for its “indefinite suspension” garnering more than 40,000 signatures. What should have been a straightforward and practical step forward has instead become controversial. The agreement had the potential to serve as a milestone in
China has long given assurances that it would not interfere in free access to the global commons. As one Ministry of Defense spokesperson put it in 2024, “the Chinese side always respects the freedom of navigation and overflight entitled to countries under international law.” Although these reassurances have always been disingenuous, China’s recent actions display a blatant disregard for these principles. Countries that care about civilian air safety should take note. In April, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) canceled a planned trip to Eswatini for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s coronation and the 58th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic
RSS