The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said yesterday that President William Lai (賴清德) should stop dodging the issue and clarify whether the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a foreign country.
The party issued the call after Lai earlier in the day stated that the true meaning of "Taiwan independence" refers to "Taiwan not being part of the PRC" and "the Republic of China (ROC) and the PRC are not subordinate to each other."
Defending the ROC’s current status, he added, does not equate to pursuing "Taiwan independence."
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Lai’s remarks came after US President Donald Trump, who wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, warned against Taiwanese independence.
In a statement last night, the KMT cited the Constitution, saying cross-strait relations are not considered “state-to-state” relations. Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), it noted, had clearly defined the relationship as one in which the two sides of the Strait do not recognize each other’s sovereignty but do not deny each other’s governing authority.
"Taiwan is certainly not part of the PRC, yet the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to ’one China,’" the KMT said, adding that "mainland China is not a foreign country to Taiwan."
The party criticized the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) over its 1999 National Congress Resolution on Taiwan’s Future (台灣前途決議文), calling it
self-deception" for declaring Taiwan an independent sovereign state under the name ROC. The KMT accused the DPP of avoiding a formal declaration of Taiwan independence or the creation of a "Republic of Taiwan," while using rhetoric to mislead supporters of independence.
Founded in 1912, the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation, and its official name is the Republic of China, the KMT emphasized.
"If Lai does not want to become a ‘troublemaker’ or push Taiwan’s 23 million people to the front line of war, he should return to the so-called ’1992 consensus’ and oppose Taiwan independence," the KMT said.
The "1992 consensus refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side free to interpret what “China” means.
The DPP has never recognized the consensus.
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