Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday called for dialogue between Taiwan and China, adding that he is not opposed to the KMT meeting with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Chiang made the remarks in response to media queries on how the KMT would engage in cross-strait dialogue.
Although the party has always maintained contact with China, as it is not the ruling party, it cannot decide how various issues are handled, Chiang said in Taipei on the sidelines of an event for the launch of his new book.
Photo: CNA
The KMT is not opposed to taking part in a forum with the CCP, he said, adding that he hoped there will be opportunities for the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to “sit down and talk.”
In his new book, Chiang wrote that the KMT can only regain the trust of Taiwanese if its discourse on cross-strait relations is based on the spirit of the Constitution, with the Republic of China (ROC) as the focus and Taiwanese society as a priority.
The spirit of the Constitution means the values that Taiwanese care about most: democracy, freedom, equality, human rights, dignity and security, he wrote in the book.
The KMT’s cross-strait position cannot just be the “1992 consensus,” and it must advance with the times, he added.
The so-called “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 the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
More opportunities should be created for the two sides of the Strait using “a 1992 consensus based on the Constitution of the Republic of China,” Chiang said.
In cross-strait relations, the key is to recognize the existence of the ROC, he said.
Any major changes to cross-strait relations must first be approved by the Taiwanese public, he added.
When Beijing did not send Chiang a congratulatory message after he was sworn in as KMT chairman last year, it attracted a lot of attention, he wrote in the book.
While some people within the pan-blue camp were worried that it meant that the trust between the KMT and the CPP had been broken, others felt it would make it easier for the KMT to tear off its “pro-CCP” label and win the trust of Taiwanese, he wrote.
In other news, the KMT Youth Department is to hold three forums aimed at young new immigrants, Hakka and Aborigines, it said yesterday.
The forums, which are to be held in cooperation with the KMT Women’s Department, are to start on April 18 with an event focused on new immigrants, Youth Department director Chen Kuan-an (陳冠安) said.
The forums are aimed at taking in opinions and policy ideas of the participants, he said, adding that the party hopes to win the approval of young, multiethnic supporters it has lost.
Additional reporting by Lin Liang-sheng and Sherry Hsiao
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