Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday said that he is in no rush to travel to China to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and that Beijing’s proposals to get Taiwan to accept communist rule have “no market” among Taiwanese.
Since the KMT was trounced in the presidential and legislative elections in January last year, the party has been unable to shake accusations by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that it is Beijing’s lackey.
Chiang, elected as party leader following the defeat, told reporters that he is in no hurry to follow his predecessors footsteps and meet Xi.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
“We can wait for a better time. There’s no urgency for it. It’s not just a meeting for a meeting’s sake, but it needs to be meaningful, respectful,” he said at the party’s headquarters in Taipei, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic has also made it difficult to travel outside of Taiwan.
“The timing needs to be right, but more importantly, there needs to be the precondition of equality and dignity, and it needs to be beneficial for Taiwan,” Chiang said.
The KMT maintains routine contact with the Chinese Communist Party (CPP), but there has been no high-level communication, Chiang said.
In Singapore in 2015, Xi met then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in a landmark meeting, shortly before President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was elected the following year. That meeting was cast as a meeting between the heads of the CCP and the KMT, rather than one between heads of state.
However, political trust has “collapsed” since then, with small issues turning into angry quarrels between Taipei and Beijing, Chiang said.
He faces an uphill struggle to win back voter support at a time when Chinese pressure on Taiwan is unrelenting and many electors view the KMT as not properly Taiwanese.
In July, he faces re-election as party chairman, although he reiterated that he has no interest in running for president and would rather serve as a “kingmaker” by choosing the party’s presidential candidate for the election in 2024.
Being firm with autocratic China would be an important test of whether the KMT can return to power — Chiang described China as the major threat that Taiwan faces.
Chiang said that China’s offer of using “one country, two systems” to entice Taiwan with a high degree of autonomy, like how Beijing is supposed to run Hong Kong, has “no market” in Taiwan, where the people like their freedoms.
“We are already used to this kind of lifestyle. If you want Taiwan’s people to change it — impossible,” he said.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
RSS