Former premier William Lai (賴清德) yesterday campaigned in Tainan and Hsinchu County to rally support for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative candidates, urging people to vote for the safeguarding of Taiwan and not the path of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which would lead to the death of the Republic of China (ROC).
In Tainan, Lai was joined by Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) in stumping for the DPP’s six legislative candidates running for constituencies in the city.
“Tainan is a baseball city and has hosted many competitions. We have a very good campaign team, strong in offense and defense. The team’s members can get hits, no matter what the opposition throws at them. When fielding, they are alert to fight against the spread of fake news and negative attacks,” Lai said.
Photo: CNA
Lai also responded to comments made on Tuesday by Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the KMT’s presidential candidate, criticizing him over past comments about Taiwanese independence.
Han called on Lai to come clean on his personal stance on cross-strait relations, as well as past remarks about being a pragmatic advocate of Taiwanese independence, saying that the DPP and Lai are trying to dupe the public by appearing to embrace the ROC, but are actually trying to supplant it with the “Republic of Taiwan.”
Lai told reporters that “Han and the KMT should take a good look at how China is intimidating Taiwan and the situation in Hong Kong right now.”
“It is easy to see which path is correct for the good of Taiwan: the path President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and the DPP have taken to safeguard Taiwan,” he said.
“If Mayor Han and the KMT refuse to change their mindset and continue their misguided ways leading Taiwan toward unification with China, then the ROC will cease to exist,” he added.
People, territory and sovereignty are the essential components of a nation-state, Lai said.
“We have each of these, therefore, without a doubt, we are a sovereign state,” he said.
Han must realize that he and the KMT are leading the nation toward unification with China, Lai said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has made it clear that there is no longer any room for different interpretations of “one China,” Lai said.
Right now, “one China” refers only to the People’s Republic of China, not the ROC, and Han must know that if Taiwan follows his path, the ROC will cease to exist, he said.
The DPP obtaining a majority in the Legislative Yuan is the best way for him and Tsai to safeguard Taiwan and all its people, he added.
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