The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) does not have a tradition of sending the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) well-wishes on anniversaries of its founding, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said yesterday.
Chiang’s remarks follow a Xinhua news agency report on Wednesday that former KMT chairpersons Lien Chan (連戰) and Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) and New Party Chairman Wu Cherng-dean (吳成典) had sent congratulatory messages to the CCP on the centenary of its founding.
Lien and Hung issued their messages in a “personal” capacity, and it shows that they are still concerned about cross-strait issues, Chiang said.
The KMT and the CCP did not congratulate each other on the KMT’s 120th and 125th anniversaries, or the CCP’s 90th and 95th anniversaries, he added.
Cross-strait efforts should be focused on establishing peaceful and stable relations, prosperous interaction, and freedom and equality for their respective citizens, Chiang said.
The KMT said in a statement that differences in ideology, resulting in the current state of cross-strait relations, continues to be the premier challenge facing Taiwanese.
The party said it would uphold the interests of the Republic of China in its cross-strait interactions, which should be based on the so-called “1992 consensus,” the spirit of which is incorporated into the Constitution, and cross-strait dialogue must not compromise democracy and freedom.
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 the CCP that both sides of the Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The 2015 meeting of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Singapore is an example of successful cross-strait dialogue, the KMT said.
Such experiences have shown that respecting political differences while seeking common ground can open the way for collaboration, it said.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said in a statement that Taiwanese have rejected the CCP’s “one China” principle and the “1992 consensus.”
The international community has been alarmed about China’s actions against Hong Kongers, Uighurs and Tibetans, it said.
China must cease its attempts at coercion and military threats against Taiwan, which is crucial to peace and stability across the Strait, it said.
People who believe in the CCP are either stupid or evil, DPP Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said, calling on the KMT to explain why some of its members side with what he said was an oppressive regime in Beijing.
The CCP’s 100-year history is that of its persecution of human rights over the past century, New Power Party (NPP) caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) told an online news conference yesterday.
People should instead commemorate the countless people who died at the CCP’s hands, NPP Chairwoman Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
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