Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) today said that Taiwan’s future must not be placed in the hands of Washington or Beijing, as the party marked Double Ten National Day with a flag-raising ceremony outside its headquarters in Taipei.
Chu said in his speech that the Republic of China (ROC) must stand on its own, adding that this is the attitude the nation’s leaders and political parties should have.
Chu, who is to step down as KMT chair after this month’s election, also thanked everyone for their support in transforming the KMT over the past four years.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The six candidates for party chair have the important responsibility of unifying the party and making it stronger, he said.
He said he has faith that the new chair, who is to be elected on Saturday next week and assume the position on Nov. 1, would make the KMT even better.
Speaking to reporters after his speech, Chu responded to President William Lai’s (賴清德) comment yesterday that without Taiwan, there would be no ROC.
Chu said that if Lai was willing to recognize the perspective of the ROC, he would see that the KMT is the ROC’s Nationalist Party, and that many institutions in Taiwan bear the name “China,” referring to the ROC.
However, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has disregarded the ROC, giving the word “China” back to the other side of the Taiwan Strait, insisting there is only Taiwan and turning China into another country, he said.
Whether this was a slip of the tongue or Lai’s true intention, actions are more important than words, he said.
Chu also responded to a leaked draft of Lai’s National Day speech, which mentioned that Taiwan plans to build its own version of the Iron Dome air defense system.
He said that the most widely recognized international strategy is dialogue and deterrence, which means using communication and engagement to reduce risk.
Solely relying on warfare capabilities cannot resolve conflicts, he added.
This is an important year for the ROC, as it marks the 100th anniversary of the passing of the nation’s founder, Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙), Chu said, adding that he said he hopes everyone would remember Sun’s great deeds.
Chu went on to say that this was a challenging year for Taiwan, as the massive recall campaign against opposition party legislators was the “greatest crisis in Taiwan’s democratic history.”
The DPP has used all available resources and judicial means to suppress and persecute the KMT, he said.
However, the party stood united and defended all its legislators, he said, thanking everyone for safeguarding Taiwan’s democracy.
It has also been a challenging year for Taiwan’s economy, Chu said, adding that the basis for Taiwan’s future development is keeping industries rooted in Taiwan, developing Taiwan and building up the ROC.
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