Being in Hong Kong, I can view KMT Chairman Lien Chan's upcoming trip to China with detachment, so I am amused by the controversy surrounding the trip.
Since Lien is neither a government official nor a legislator, he can only represent his party.
To pretend to speak for the government or the Taiwanese people will only reinforce the perception that he and his party still ignore the fact that they have lost two presidential elections, yet believe that they rule Taiwan.
Negotiating with Lien other than as KMT chairman would prove that Beijing is stuck in a time warp, is yet to come to terms with Taiwan's democratic changes and is still peddling the fiction that Taiwan is ruled by refugees of the civil war.
What can Lien discuss with his counterpart in the Chinese Communist Party? The only issue that remains open is the the civil war. The world has long accepted the CCP's victory in the civil war, but the KMT seems unable to grasp this reality.
Because the KMT has never formally admitted defeat, Beijing has been denied the closure it needs in this historical chapter.
So, Lien should use the opportunity to admit that his party lost.
Removing this old obstacle will permit both sides of the Strait to move ahead.
This will be the greatest contribution Lien can make and will help establish the legacy he seeks.
Instead of condemning a "so-called journey of peace," the ruling party should urge Lien to make the trip a true journey of peace.
Kenneth Choy
Hong Kong
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