Sun, May 08, 2022 page3

• Former VP Lu suggests Taiwan-China federation

  ‘CROSS-STRAIT INTEGRATION’: An EU-style union with China is possible without formally joining the country, DPP former vice president Annette Lu said yesterday

  • By Jason Pan / Staff reporter
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  Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday promoted “cross-strait integration” (兩岸統合) as a model for keeping peace between Taiwan and China, while announcing that she would be organizing activities to promote her ideas.

  A series of national affairs forums is being planned to encourage public discussion about her political integration model, she said, addressing a gathering at the “Her-Story, 50 Years for New Women” special exhibition at Tainan’s Wu Family Garden.

  Attending the event was former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), whose family is from Tainan.

  

  Former vice president Annette Lu attends a book launch in Tainan yesterday.

  Photo: Hung Jui-chin, Taipei Times

  Lu said that “cross-strait integration” should replace “cross-strait unification” (兩岸統一), while calling on Beijing to take up the “one Zhonghua” (一個中華) concept, instead of “one China” (一個中國) idea.

  Zhonghua means “Chinese.”

  It is difficult to promote “unification,” as very few people in Taiwan would accept it, while integration can be discussed as it is broader in scope, Lu said.

  The nations could then move toward forming a “Zhonghua confederation” (中華邦聯), which would encourage closer political and economic ties across the Strait, she said.

  Lu has advocated the confederation model over the past few years.

  She said her idea is based on the formation of the EU, or regional blocs such as ASEAN and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

  “In facing the threat of war, the Taiwanese government must push its soft power... I am presenting these ideas because Taiwan’s ruling and opposition parties have not provided any new policies for cross-strait relations,” Lu said. “Our young people are lost, with no clear direction.”

  To advocate her political ideas, Lu has is planning a rally dubbed “Peace and Love for Taiwan,” co-organized with several major religious organizations.

  Lu’s idea is to promote peace in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The rally was scheduled for May 14, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak has been postponed to Aug. 14, she said.

  Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members in the audience were conspicuous in their lack of support for Lu’s ideas.

  Chen said: “I will not talk about this today,” while other politicians also declined to comment.

  Political experts have said that Lu has drifted from the DPP, and most party members and supporters disagree with most of her ideas.

  Forming a confederation with China would mean giving up Taiwan’s sovereignty and democratic way of life, they said.

  Professor Chang Cheng-shuh (張正修), a former political strategist for the DPP and a former Examination Yuan member, said that most DPP supporters see Lu as using her controversial concepts to get closer to the pro-China political camps.

  “Most people now view Lu as a former politician who has outdated ideas, and has no popular support, so she has taken up more far-out positions to ... gain public attention and media coverage,” Chang said. “Lu is trying to stay relevant ... but she is out of touch with the current generation.”
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