Any politicians visiting China must reflect the will of Taiwanese to maintain democracy and peace, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) announced a trip by party officials this week that is to include a meeting with Beijing’s top official on Taiwan.
The KMT said that a delegation led by Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia (夏立言) is to fly to China tomorrow, where they would meet with Taiwanese in Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chongqing and other cities in central China before returning on Feb. 17.
They would also stop in Beijing, where Hsia, KMT Mainland Affairs Department head Lin Chu-chia (林祖嘉) and other party officials are to meet with China’s new Taiwan Affairs Office Director Song Tao (宋濤), the KMT said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Media reports said they might also meet with Wang Huning (王滬寧), a member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo who has reportedly been tasked with redefining the party’s vision for cross-strait relations away from “one country, two systems.”
The MAC said it received notice of the trip from the KMT yesterday morning.
The government has always upheld that any cross-strait exchange must be based on the principles of reciprocity and dignity, it said.
Visiting politicians must also promote mutual understanding and cannot unilaterally put forth political prerequisites or desired outcomes, it added.
They should reflect the will of Taiwanese to maintain democracy and peace, as well as their opposition to the use of force to resolve cross-strait issues, it said.
The MAC also called on the authorities in Beijing to recognize the reality that neither side is subordinate to each other and to promote pragmatic communication.
Hsia’s last visit to China in August last year drew controversy because of the timing — days after Beijing held large-scale military drills around Taiwan in response to then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) also questioned the timing of this trip, saying that visiting immediately after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his trip to Beijing over a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the US would only exacerbate “unnecessary associations” between Taiwan and China in the international community.
Hsia must not “carelessly abandon Taiwan’s interests and rush to surrender to China,” the DPP said.
The KMT said the delegation would engage in dialogue “on the basis of equality and dignity” to reflect the “newest” will of the people.
The officials are to reflect the hope among Taiwanese for regional peace and stability, as well as convey the desire among farmers, fishers and other small business owners for mutual prosperity, it said.
Whether in power or in opposition, the KMT will always support “defending the Republic of China, protecting Taiwanese democracy and safeguarding regional peace,” it said.
Faced with the current deadlock in cross-strait relations, the party “cannot sit idly by and do nothing,” it added.
It also called on the governments on both sides not to abandon mutual prosperity and economic relations because of their differences, but rather to resolve problems through active communication.
Meanwhile, an expert suggested that the visit was intended to obtain approval from Beijing’s new leaders before the KMT begins choosing a presidential nominee.
The KMT is positioning itself as the “spokesperson for peace” and needs Chinese approval to support this claim, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said.
When Hsia visited last year, he was “stood up” by Chinese officials, he said, adding that the KMT needs to build trust with China’s new leaders, as cross-strait relations would be important to next year’s election.
Additional reporting by Lin Liang-sheng and Chen Yun
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
BIG SPENDERS: Foreign investors bought the most Taiwan equities since 2005, signaling confidence that an AI boom would continue to benefit chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) market capitalization swelled to US$2 trillion for the first time following a 4.25 percent rally in its American depositary receipts (ADR) overnight, putting the world’s biggest contract chipmaker sixth on the list of the world’s biggest companies by market capitalization, just behind Amazon.com Inc. The site CompaniesMarketcap.com ranked TSMC ahead of Saudi Aramco and Meta Platforms Inc. The Taiwanese company’s ADRs on Tuesday surged to US$385.75 on the New York Stock Exchange, as strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications led to chip supply constraints and boost revenue growth to record-breaking levels. Each TSMC ADR represents
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC also iterated it has been reducing the proportion of crude oil imports from the Middle East and diversifying its supply sources in the past few years in response to geopolitical risks, expanding
RSS