China should propose a new framework for engagement with Taiwan and explain what Beijing has to offer Taiwan, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.
China has stepped up military and political pressure with Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections scheduled for January.
Opinion polls show that Ko is competing for second place with New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate.
Photo: I-Hwa Cheng, AFP
The frontrunner is Vice President William Lai (賴清德), who took over leadership of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) earlier this year, polls show.
Speaking to foreign reporters in Taipei, Ko said that his bottom line for talks with Beijing is to maintain Taiwan’s free and democratic political system and way of life.
“If mainland China has a new offer, they should make a new proposal. It’s their obligations, not mine,” Ko said when asked about how he planned to restart talks with China, which have been frozen since the DPP government took office in 2016.
Beijing’s current offer to givern Taiwan under the “one country, two systems” model similar to that of Kong Kong has no appeal for Taiwanese, Ko said.
Beijing should define what “one China” means — whether it is political, or economic, he said.
“We will not deny that Taiwan is part of the Chinese culture circle. So I will tell the Beijing government that we share the same history, language, religion and culture,” Ko said, adding economic cooperation with China was also negotiable.
However, “politically, at this moment, there’s nothing we can do,” he added.
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