A Kaohsiung city councilor on Sunday voiced his dismay over prosecutors deciding not to charge Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, with treason for visiting China’s liaison offices in Hong Kong and Macau.
During a March visit to Hong Kong and Macau to market Kaohsiung’s agricultural products, Han held meetings with top officials at China’s liaison offices in the two special administrative regions.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) son, and four other city councilors filed a complaint against Han with the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office on March 27, accusing him of treason.
Photo: Ko Yu-hao, Taipei Times
The group said that by meeting with Chinese officials, Han gave tacit consent to China’s “one country, two systems” unification formula, undermining Taiwan’s national interests and sovereignty.
The prosecutors said Han’s meetings had not jeopardized Taiwan’s sovereignty, as he did not meet with the Chinese government agencies responsible for advancing the “one country, two systems” model.
Neither, as a Taiwanese mayor, did Han have the authority to engage in talks regarding Taiwanese sovereignty, they said.
Han did not express his support for the “1992 consensus” during his meetings with Chinese officials and, besides, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have different interpretations of what the consensus means, the prosecutors said.
The “1992 consensus” — a term that 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 Beijing that both sides acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Han’s support of the so-called “1992 consensus” does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that he supports “one country, two systems,” they said.
Chen Chih-chung said how disappointed he was by the prosecutors’ decision.
The prosecutors had failed to ask Han for details about his meetings before concluding that they had not harmed Taiwan’s sovereignty, he said, adding that Han was already considering at the time running for president, so his meetings did threaten national security and possibly indicate treason.
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