The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is scheduled to hold a party congress today in which the party’s presidential hopeful, Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), is expected to be officially nominated.
A source familiar with the party said that KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and other party heavyweights would be at the meeting with the aim of creating an atmosphere of unity.
The proposal for Hung’s candidacy is expected to pass with applause in the congress, the source said, adding that Hung would deliver an acceptance speech immediately after the nomination, which has been seen as the focus of the meeting.
Ma and Chu are to take to the stage after Hung concludes her speech and raise joined hands with her while the 1,600 party representatives stand hand-in-hand in the arena, shouting victory slogans in unison, the source added.
The congress is to take place amid media speculation that Hung and Wang have a quid pro quo agreement guaranteeing Wang’s seat as a legislator-at-large in exchange for his support of Hung.
Meanwhile, the congress is also expected to approve the proposal to include the so-called “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000, which refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what that means — in its political platform, which was presented by the party’s platform revision committee and reviewed by the KMT Central Standing Committee earlier this week.
The proposed revision is based on a 2013 revision, which states that the party should strive to put into practice a five-point consensus reached at a meeting between former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and former Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) in 2005.
The party platform revision committee proposed rephrasing the relevant section to read: “extending the spirit of the five-point consensus of the Lien-Hu meeting, upholding the Constitution of the Republic of China and promoting a mainland [China] policy that stresses cross-strait peace based on the 1992 consensus.”
Hung has agreed to adhere to the KMT’s party platform, since her statement regarding the “1992 consensus” — “one China, common interpretation” — gave rise to controversy among party members.
Hung’s comment raised worries that she believed Taiwan’s interpretation should be the same as China’s. For Beijing, its interpretation means that China is the People’s Republic of China, a country that includes Taiwan.
Hung has since retracted her statement, clarifying that she supports the KMT’s position.
On Wednesday, Chu called for solidarity, not only among party members, but also by allied parties and civic groups who share the same ideas as the KMT.
His comment came after the KMT expelled five mavericks for making public defamatory comments that could cause divisions in the party.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College