The reopening of a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) liaison office in the US signaled a “return” for the party’s voice in Washington, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said on Wednesday.
Chu, who is on an 11-day trip to the US, attended a plaque unveiling ceremony to mark the official reopening of the KMT’s representative office on the top floor of a building on 601 Pennsylvania Ave in Washington.
The new mission, headed by KMT Department of International Affairs director Alexander Huang (黃介正), would work to garner support in Washington for “Taiwan, the Republic of China and Taiwanese,” Chu said.
Photo: CNA
The party’s representation disappeared in Washington following the closure of a previous liaison office shortly after Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT became president in 2008, Chu said.
Taiwan needs support from the international community at a time of heightened tensions, in particular from the US, Chu said.
He later told reporters that the KMT has been a “pro-US, pro-democracy and pro-peace” party dedicated to defending Taiwan since its founding more than a century ago.
The KMT was established in Hawaii in 1894 as the Revive China Society, and in 1919 was reconstituted under its current name in Shanghai, China.
After retreating to Taiwan in 1949, the KMT-controlled government ruled Taiwan under a one-party authoritarian system and imposed martial law for nearly four decades until the beginning of democratization in the late 1980s.
Chu said the KMT had been “mislabeled” as “pro-China,” and is opposed to China’s growing military and economic pressure on Taiwan, such as increasing incursions by Chinese military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.
“Any assertive maneuvers will do nothing but cause a sense of aversion among Taiwanese,” Chu said.
The chairman urged both sides of the Taiwan Strait to seek dialogue and exchanges to foster amicable relations and find common ground while respecting their differences.
The ceremony was attended by US Department of State Office of Taiwan Coordination Director Dan Biers, former US envoy to APEC Robert Wang (王曉岷) and David Brown, a visiting academic at Johns Hopkins University specializing in China studies.
Brown said he was pleased to see the KMT establishing a new presence in Washington, adding that the office would make a tremendous contribution to fostering trust and cooperation between Taiwan and the US.
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
A fourth public debate was held today about restarting the recently decommissioned Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, ahead of a referendum on the controversial issue to be held in less than two weeks. A referendum on Aug. 23 is to ask voters if they agree that “the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operations upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns.” Anyone over 18 years of age can vote in the referendum. The vote comes just three months after its final reactor shut down, officially making Taiwan nuclear-free. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) represented
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
RSS