New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) on Monday said that he opposes Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula, as well as Taiwanese independence.
Hou is considered a front-runner in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) nomination race for next year’s presidential election. He faces competition from Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), who, despite not being a member of the KMT, has said he plans to seek the party’s nomination.
Speaking at a hearing at the New Taipei City Council, Hou said he insists on upholding Taiwan’s democratic values to allow the nation to move ahead, while opposing China’s “one country, two systems” formula.
Photo: CNA
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has said the “one country, two systems” formula, used in Hong Kong and Macau, could be customized to apply to Taiwan if China were to take control of the nation.
During the hearing, New Taipei City Councilor Chen Chi-nen (陳啟能) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said Hou has never condemned Beijing for sending military jets to the skies around Taiwan.
Hou said that challenges to national sovereignty are unacceptable, and that Taiwan needs to take these challenges seriously and ensure a high level of battle readiness.
He said if Taiwan were attacked, he would rise to the challenge and called on city councilors to stop questioning his patriotism.
Chen called Hou the New Taipei City mayor of “the Republic of China [ROC], Taiwan,” but Hou corrected him, saying he should be referred to as the New Taipei City mayor of “the Republic of China,” adding the latter has a legal basis under the nation’s ROC Constitution.
“Taiwanese independence has no legal basis, so I oppose it,” Hou said.
Unity in Taiwan should not be damaged by ideology, he said.
“The ROC is our country and Taiwan is our home. We have to take good care of our home as well as our country,” he said.
DPP spokeswoman Michelle Lin (林楚茵) said that Hou’s opposition to the “one country, two systems” formula is an attempt to cheat people and solicit votes for his potential presidential race.
She accused Hou of using his rhetoric on the “one county, two systems” formula to skirt the so-called “1992 consensus” supported by former KMT president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Ma recently discussed the “1992 consensus” at an international event and publicly accepted it, so Hou should say whether he supports Ma’s stance on the issue, Lin added.
Hou on Saturday said he respected Ma’s stance on the “1992 consensus.”
Chiang I-chen (江怡臻), deputy head of the KMT Culture and Communications Committee, on Monday said Hou has described his political beliefs clearly, as he adheres to the ROC Constitution and has said: “Our country is the ROC, a democratic and free county under rule of law, and a sovereign country.”
At a hearing of the city council on Tuesday, Hou said the ROC’s sovereignty covers Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.
“I am here to protect Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu,” he said.
Hou said he deals with cross-strait affairs based on the ROC Constitution and the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), adding that the act clearly describes ties across the Taiwan Strait.
The act describes the Taiwan area as Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and any other area under the effective control of the government, while the mainland area refers to the territory of the Republic of China outside the Taiwan area.
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 that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday established a friendship group with their counterparts in Ukraine to promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. A ceremony in Taipei for the Taiwan-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association, initiated by DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), was attended by lawmakers and officials, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Director Lutz Gullner. The increasingly dire situation in Ukraine is a global concern, and Taiwan cannot turn its back when the latter is in need of help, as the two countries share many common values and interests,