Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday said that his party’s presidential candidate, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), in his visit to the US would clearly tell friends in the international community that the KMT is the true defender of the Republic of China (ROC).
Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate, “promotes Taiwanese independence every day,” he said.
Chu’s comments came a day after Lai was quoted by Bloomberg Business as saying in an interview that “Taiwan is already a sovereign, independent country called the Republic of China.”
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
“And in respect to unifying Taiwanese society, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has used the term Republic of China [Taiwan] to describe our country. I will continue to do so in the future,” Lai was quoted as saying. “There are no plans to change the name of our country.”
In response, Chu said in a speech to the KMT Central Standing Committee that the KMT is the true defender of Taiwan’s constitutional order while the DPP has been working toward the formal independence of Taiwan.
“Lai, the golden grandchild of the Taiwanese independence movement and a self-avowed pro-independence politician, has supported Taiwanese independence every day of his life,” Chu said.
“Even Taiwanese independence supporters say that they would vote for Lai so that he can push for independence after taking office,” he added.
Support for Taiwanese independence is in Lai’s genes and he would not change “even if he lied to obtain votes and international support,” Chu said, adding that the KMT is the true guardian of Taiwan and the guarantor of peace in the Taiwan Strait.
Separately, Hou said that Lai in the past characterized himself as a pragmatic politician advocating for Taiwanese independence.
Considering Lai’s previous public comments, his recent claims about not seeking formal independence do not make sense, Hou said.
DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) yesterday slammed Chu in a Facebook post saying that his remarks are indistinguishable from those of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
“Is the KMT chairman lodging a complaint against Lai to Westerners on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party?” he asked.
Chu’s remarks breached the cardinal rule that a politician must put the nation above their private or partisan political interests when speaking to an international audience, Wang said, adding that politicians should refrain from complaining about political opponents to outsiders.
The KMT has achieved “a new low” in sharing Taiwan’s internal political disputes with the nation’s allies in a public manner, Wang said.
Additional reporting by Chen Cheng-yu and Lai Hsiao-tung
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
President William Lai (賴清德) is expected to announce a new advanced “all-domain” air defense system to better defend against China when he gives his keynote national day speech today, four sources familiar with the matter said. Taiwan is ramping up defense spending and modernizing its armed forces, but faces a China that has a far larger military and is adding its own advanced new weapons such as stealth fighter jets, aircraft carriers and a huge array of missiles. Lai is expected to announce the air defense system dubbed “Taiwan Dome” in his speech this morning, one of the sources said. The system
RSS