Newly elected Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) must push for deeper reforms and reduce or eliminate pro-China influence to effectively lead and work with lawmakers at all levels, media personality and influential KMT member Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) said yesterday.
Cheng — who on Saturday won the election with 65,122 votes, or 50.15 percent of the votes — is to succeed incumbent Eric Chu (朱立倫) on Saturday next week to serve a four-year term.
Her election has raised concerns within the KMT that her perceived “pro-China” stance could influence the party’s direction.
Photo: CNA
Speaking of potential leadership challenges Cheng might face, Jaw, the former chairman of Broadcasting Corp of China, said that if the party headquarters’ policies align with those of local lawmakers and the KMT legislative caucus, they can reinforce each other.
Otherwise, “everyone goes their separate ways, and the party headquarters would become merely a one-person show under the party chair,” he said.
In response, Cheng said that “a powerless party center” is impossible within the KMT.
She said she felt strong unity throughout the party during her campaign and sensed high expectations for its future.
She promised there would be no internal power struggles or drama within the party.
Instead, she would lead through teamwork and respect for local voices, she said, adding that she is confident that the party would meet members’ expectations and deliver strong results in next year’s local elections.
Meanwhile, the KMT headquarters said it yesterday received a congratulatory message from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
Xi, speaking as head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), said in the message that the two parties should strengthen their “common political foundation, upholding the 1992 consensus and opposition to Taiwanese independence to promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, and strive to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
“The great rejuvenation of Zhonghua minzu [中華民族, Chinese nation] is unstoppable, and it is hoped the two parties will uphold their shared political foundation, unite the broader Taiwanese community, strengthen the pride, integrity and confidence of being Chinese, deepen exchanges and cooperation, and advance national unification,” it added.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term 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.
Cheng, in her response to Xi, said that both sides of the Strait “verbally expressed adherence to the ‘one China’ principle,” adding that “on the shared political foundation of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing Taiwan independence, the KMT and the CCP have promoted the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and achieved many historic accomplishments — no small feat.”
“Both sides of the Strait are descendants of emperors Yan and Huang (炎黃子孫) and belong to the Zhonghua minzu, and the two parties should, on the existing foundation, strengthen cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, promote peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and strive to bring the greatest benefit to people on both sides,” she said.
Hung Pu-chao (洪浦釗), deputy director of the Center for Mainland China and Regional Development Research at Tunghai University, said that if Cheng adopts a pro-China stance, it could heighten international scrutiny and lead Beijing to misjudge its ability to replicate such interference, potentially escalating infiltration efforts in Taiwan.
The KMT’s chairmanship election was shadowed by domestic and foreign suspicions of Chinese interference, while Cheng is seen as Beijing’s clearest dialogue partner within the KMT, Hung said.
Cheng’s win could trigger a split in the party’s political direction, but is also deepen public suspicion about the party’s autonomy, he said.
Her leadership would face a legitimacy challenge within the party, particularly from younger and mid-generation party members who advocate for “independent diplomacy” and “national defense,” he said.
She would have to convince them that the party can uphold Taiwan’s interests instead of becoming Beijing’s mouthpiece, he said.
Externally, her cross-strait discourse and interactions with China are going to face unprecedented scrutiny, he said.
The public would closely watch whether her source of information, flow of funds and rhetoric align with Beijing’s position, he said.
Additional reporting by Lin Hsin-han
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