Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) yesterday denied that party chairs typically report to the party caucus before meeting with their Chinese counterparts.
Hung was asked by reporters about the KMT caucus’ complaint — expressed by caucus convener Sufin Siluko (廖國棟) — that they were not notified before the party’s headquarters announced that Hung would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Nov. 1.
The chairwoman said she welcomed KMT lawmakers to “come and have a chat” with her at the party’s headquarters, but added that it is “not right” for them to complain about a lack of prior notice.
“The meetings between then-chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and former Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), between then-president and then-chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping and again between then-chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Xi all took place without reporting to the KMT caucus in advance,” Hung said.
“There are a lot of details to coordinate between [the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party concerning the forum], and it is not possible to explain to everybody about every detail. Even the timing of the announcement had to be synchronized,” she added.
Asked about the caucus’ demand that Hung clearly state the “one China, different interpretations” aspect of the so-called “1992 consensus” when she meets Xi, Hung said the consensus incorporates “one China, different interpretations” and asked the caucus to obtain a deeper understanding of the formation and the content of the “1992 consensus.”
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — 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 “China” means.
Hung yesterday denied that she was going to bring up “one China, same interpretation,” but protested the public’s fear of the term.
“Now people fret whenever they hear the phrase, ‘one China, same interpretation,’ without first asking what it is about. They think those who uphold it are for immediate unification or are for being unified with China. However, these are mistaken viewpoints, and I believe more communication is needed,” she said.
In response to Hung’s remarks, Sufin said the meetings Hung cited all took place when the KMT was still the ruling party in either the executive branch or in the legislature.
However, it is a different scenario now, he said.
“With the predicament we are in now, you have to be very responsive to public opinion in order to have a future, and many KMT lawmakers have expressed their deep worries about their electoral prospects when it comes to [Hung’s] ‘one China, same interpretation.’”
Additional Reporting by CNA
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