The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday.
Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not.
While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and says they are not Chinese, he said, adding that the TPP takes a middle-of-the-road position, although it does not have a strong opinion on the issue.
Photo courtesy of Ma Ying-Jeou’s office
The KMT has not changed, and cannot change, its pro-unification stance on the Taiwan issue, as the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution does not exclude the option of unification, Ma said.
The KMT’s opposes Taiwanese independence and is in favor of “peace,” aligning with the opinion of the vast majority in Taiwan, he said.
Taiwanese who support independence are few, he added.
Ma said Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is believed to be “more peaceable” than Lai.
“President Lai often proclaims himself as a pragmatic Taiwanese independence worker, but seeking Taiwanese independence is not pragmatic as it can never be achieved,” he said.
“That is why sometimes we think he is a bit naive,” Ma added.
Ma said he does not consider cross-strait tensions to be concerning for the moment, because neither the US nor China are willing to go to war.
“Of course, we dare not say it will never happen,” he said, adding that it is “not impossible, but unlikely.”
He also said he believes China “cherishes” its economic and technological achievements, so it would not rush into a war.
“I am not that pessimistic about the US-China relationship,” Ma said, adding that he believes both sides know war would lead to a lose-lose situation.
Peaceful competition between the US and China could benefit both sides, as the US would not stay ahead of China forever in some fields, he said.
China would not rashly wage a war against Taiwan as Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) knows that there are millions of Taiwanese businesspeople in China and Taiwanese would not accept it if China does not adopt a peaceful and democratic approach to achieve unification, Ma said.
Asked about the potential impact of this year’s US presidential election on cross-strait stability, Ma said he is concerned.
However, neither US President Joe Biden, nor Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump would deal with China by any means other than peaceful, as the US could not afford the price of war, he said.
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
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
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
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS