The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) National Congress on Saturday passed a new policy platform titled “Defend Taiwan, Protect Democracy, Fight for the Future, Return to Power,” which covers issues ranging from climate change and animal protection to cross-strait relations.
While continuing the party’s previous stance of backing the so-called “1992 consensus,” which the KMT sees as “one China, different interpretations,” and opposing Beijing’s “one country, two systems,” as well as Taiwanese independence pursued in the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) charter, the new platform also includes KMT Chairman Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) proposal that both sides of the Taiwan Strait should seek common ground while respecting their differences.
This is a change from the KMT’s previous stance of “seeking common ground while allowing differences,” but the new platform is still against military threats or any unilateral actions that could affect peace between the two sides and the cross-strait “status quo.”
Chu, who was elected KMT chairman last month, said in a speech that the KMT would not let its guard down against efforts by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or the DPP to undermine the Republic of China Constitution, democracy, freedom and the rule of law.
Chu said the KMT is seeking victory in the four referendums to be held on Dec. 18, two of which were initiated by KMT lawmakers, and in the local elections next year, before building a successful campaign for the presidential elections in 2024.
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 Chinese Communist Party CCP that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
During the meeting, Chu also named his three deputies — Chiayi Mayor Huang Ming-hui (黃敏惠), former Mainland Affairs Council minister Hsia Li-yan (夏立 言) and Sean Lien (連勝文), who lost the Taipei mayoral election in 2014 and is the son of former vice president Lien Chan (連戰).
The congress also approved the appointment of former Taitung county commissioner Justin Huang (黃健庭) as the party’s secretary-general.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
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