The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is hindering cross-strait relations, while the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has to keep “putting out fires” the DPP started, KMT Deputy Chairman Sean Lien (連勝文) said.
Lien was in China to attend the 16th Straits Forum as the head of a KMT delegation. He made the remarks in an interview with Chinese media on Friday, when asked about his views on “how the DPP is damaging cross-strait relations.”
“It is absurd that the ones setting fire [to cross-strait relations] are sometimes considered heroes, while those putting out the fires are derided,” Lien said.
Photo: screen grab from Bloomberg Television’s YouTube channel
The KMT hopes to make Taiwanese aware that the KMT, through actual interactive platforms such as the Straits Forum, “is the one party genuinely making an effort to ensure Taiwan’s safety and democracy,” he said.
Asked “what is most critical to developing peaceful cross-strait relations,” Lien said that mutual understanding is vital.
Information on cross-strait relations is fragmented, and sometimes bite-sized information would lead to overgeneralization, he said.
Much of the Internet-based commentary is polarizing and biased, leading to miscommunication and misunderstandings, Lien said, adding that the best way is to meet in person and communicate.
In his opening remarks at the Straits Forum yesterday, Lien reiterated the KMT’s commitment to cross-strait peace and exchanges on equal footing, and stressed the party’s adherence to the “1992 consensus” and opposition to Taiwan independence.
The so-called “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 government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Lien also said that people on both sides of the Strait are a part of the Zhonghua minzu (中華民族, Chinese ethnic group) and are all heirs to its history.
“Since ancient times, Taiwan has belonged to China. Taiwanese compatriots are naturally a part of the Zhonghua minzu. History brooks no distortion, and one’s ancestry cannot be changed,” Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧) said.
The “1992 consensus” and the “one China principle” are important to ensuring peace across the Taiwan Strait, Wang added.
The Straits Forum is known as a China-hosted platform which aims to deliver a “united front” rhetoric and sow discord within Taiwan, the Mainland Affairs Council said.
The government supports cross-strait interactions without predetermined political stances, but is against events that attempt political manipulation, the agency said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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