The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) must remain strong when dealing with China, because the party is bound to the continued existence of the Republic of China (ROC), former KMT vice chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said yesterday.
Hau is running for party chairperson.
Hau made similar comments on Friday in an interview with TV political talk show host Jaw Shaw-kang (趙少康) on Situation Room.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
“Should Beijing refuse to acknowledge the ROC, then we no longer need to interact with them,” Hau said. “If our goodwill is not reciprocated in kind and we do not receive dignified treatment as an equal partner, why should we continue?”
“If that happens, then there is no need to maintain postal services, commercial services or transportation services with China. We can consider other alternatives,” he said.
However, Hau said that the KMT does not want that situation to occur.
“We should not have to force each other to back down,” Hau said, adding that he hoped Beijing would offer Taiwan some respect and goodwill.
“Some [party] members have, indeed, backed down too much,” he said, referencing the perception that the KMT was often weak when facing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Hau said that some pan-blue supporters — not necessarily politicians — might have acted in a less than dignified manner while in pursuit of economic benefits from China.
“We cannot continue to do so,” he said.
The party chairperson, leaders and members of a certain rank should decline all offers by the Chinese government to “treat them” to meals during future visits, Hau said.
All cross-strait interaction must be conducted based on maintaining our dignity, he added.
The basic consensus on both sides of the Taiwan Strait is the “1992 consensus,” he 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.
However, the basis of that agreement has been undermined by the Democratic Progressive Party’s denial of the consensus’ validity, calling it the “one country, two systems” concept, while Beijing flatly refuses to acknowledge the ROC, he said.
The KMT should debate whether its cross-strait policies require revision as consensus between the two sides of the Strait, as well as between the KMT and the CCP, appears to be over, he said.
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