Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, yesterday unveiled a cross-strait policy white paper, saying he would try to restore cross-strait dialogue if elected president.
Under President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration, trust is lacking between both sides of the Taiwan Strait and in less than four years, Taiwan has lost seven diplomatic allies, Han said during a Facebook livestream.
Describing Tsai’s cross-strait policy as “China-hating, self-serving and damaging to Taiwan,” Han said that he would work to rebuild trust between both sides of the Strait.
Photo: Chang Chung-i, Taipei Times
His vision for cross-strait relations includes defending the nation’s sovereignty by insisting on the “1992 consensus” for rebuilding cross-strait trust, as well as helping to promote China’s democratization to ensure cross-strait peace, he said.
He would also build mechanisms for internal dialogue to form a consensus in Taiwan on cross-strait issues, Han said.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The current cross-strait situation does not offer the conditions for unification or independence, Han said.
“Our generation does not have the right to limit the choices of subsequent generations, and it is our responsibility to create a stronger and more peaceful environment for them,” he said.
He would not allow anyone to harm Taiwan, he said, adding: “If necessary, every citizen, including myself, would protect the sovereignty of the Republic of China with a gun.”
Su, who a policy adviser of Han’s, said the meaning of the “1992 consensus” has been distorted after Tsai linked it to Beijing’s “one country, two systems.”
If Han is elected president, he would restore cross-strait dialogue using the “consensus” as a foundation, Su said.
Under the Tsai administration, national security is facing serious threats from China, Su said.
“I am worried that if Tsai is re-elected, Taiwan would enter a situation equivalent to a volcanic eruption,” he said.
In other developments, KMT Pingtung County Chapter head Liao Wan-ju (廖婉汝) said that Han is planning to visit the county on Wednesday next week on the first stop of a campaign tour.
Han’s campaign office spokeswoman Ho Ting-huan (何庭歡) said that Han is planning to travel throughout Taiwan to consult industries and members of the public on policymaking, but added that no dates have been set.
Additional reporting by CNA
Taiwan does not exclude the possibility of having formal diplomatic relations with countries that also have formal ties with China, regardless of Beijing’s stance, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said on Sunday. There was speculation in 2012 that Honduras was attempting to have simultaneous diplomatic relations with Taiwan and China, an idea that then-minister of foreign affairs David Lin (林永樂) rejected. Honduras severed formal ties with Taiwan on Sunday morning after establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing. President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration has taken a more practical approach to relations with like-minded countries since assuming government in 2016. Previous administrations took the
Seven senior faculty members, including the principal, of a high school in Taichung were temporarily suspended from their jobs on Friday, pending an investigation by the Taichung Education Bureau into alleged bullying and abuse that led to the suicide of a student last month. The city’s education officials were too slow to suspend those involved, the student’s father told a news conference on Wednesday, at which Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) and members of the Humanistic Education Foundation were also present. The boy had been a good student and a high achiever during elementary and junior-high, and had
Taiwan would have established formal relations with Argentina long ago if not for China’s interference, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yui told US-based Spanish-language online news outlet Infobae in an interview published on Tuesday. Beijing has left behind a string of unfulfilled promises in Latin America, including pledges to build the Grand Nicaragua Canal and airports, docks, ports and industrial zones in El Salvador, he said. Meanwhile, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and other countries enjoy pragmatic and improving relations with Taiwan based on cooperation on the economy, culture, technology and science, he said. While Taiwan is “happy to live and let live,”
WASHED ASHORE: Of the 16 bodies discovered along Taiwan’s west coast this month, two were Vietnamese and five were Taiwanese, coast guard officials said Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥) said that he has instructed prosecutors and maritime authorities to launch investigations after 16 bodies were found along Taiwan’s west coast this month, amid speculation that they were victims of smuggling or human trafficking rings. Coast Guard Administration (CGA) officials said the bodies, most of which had washed ashore, were found by coast guard personnel and local residents along the coastline from Keelung to Kaohsiung. Thirteen of the bodies are male and three are female, the CGA said, adding that items found on the bodies indicate that two of the men were Vietnamese, while three men