A Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) delegation that visited China has on multiple occasions told Chinese officials that heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait have made many Taiwanese uneasy, KMT Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia (夏立言) said yesterday, adding that the delegation was seeking dialogue with Beijing, instead of a quarrel.
The delegation, led by Hsia, returned to Taiwan on Saturday following a 10-day trip.
The KMT held a news conference to tout the delegation’s achievements, but came under scrutiny by reporters, who pressed Hsia about his meetings with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo Standing Committee member Wang Huning (王滬寧) and Taiwan Affairs Office Director Song Tao (宋濤).
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“We have on multiple occasions spoken for Taiwanese, including during our meetings with high-ranking officials in Beijing. I clearly told them that heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait have caused unease among the general public in Taiwan,” Hsia told reporters.
“Both sides know very well that Beijing and Taipei have different policies and positions. However, we were there to have dialogue, not pick fights. We held our ground and we believe that both sides can pursue consensus on issues, despite their differences,” he added.
Asked if the visit was an indication that KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) is planning to run for president, Hsia said that the party would nominate candidates that are most likely to win the presidential election next year.
“We did not talk about Taiwan’s presidential election at all during our trip to China,” Hsia said. “Talking about elections in Taiwan was completely unnecessary as they are internal affairs.”
Osamu Onoda, a retired Japanese air force general and a senior research fellow at the Security Strategy Research Institute, said that the KMT’s victories in the local elections in November last year have motivated the CCP to re-engage with the party to achieve its political purposes.
The CCP is supporting the KMT in the same way it did during the administration of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Onoda said.
Hsia said he disagreed with Onoda’s statement.
“People paid close attention to the delegation’s visit, because nobody wants war,” he said.
“As an opposition party, the KMT has neither the political authority nor the means to engage in formal negotiations with China. We can only find ways to secure more benefits for Taiwanese and make Taiwan a safer place,” he added.
The KMT has always attached great important to cross-strait exchanges and communications, Hsia said, adding that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) have also highlighted the importance of cross-strait communication.
Hsia said it has always been the KMT’s position to oppose Taiwanese independence and stand by “the 1992 consensus.”
The “1992 consensus,” a term 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 Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
“Highlighting that each side has its respective interpretation of what ‘one China’ means is unnecessary, as the ‘1992 consensus’ and the meeting between then-Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫) and then-Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits chairman Wang Daohan (汪道涵) in 1993 would not occur without the fundamental principle,” Hsia said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS