Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun (江丙坤) led a delegation on a visit to China last week, opening a new chapter after a standoff of more than half a century between his party and the Chinese Community Party (CCP). Some people viewed this turning point with a tolerant heart, believing that the historical grudges and hatred between the two parties had been turned into grudges and hatred between China and Taiwan, which is not good for the people of this country. A reconciliation with the other side of the Taiwan Strait through Chiang's trip is "not so bad," they said.
However, the KMT's China trip may cause irreparable harm to Taiwan. In the face of China's threats, Taiwan's situation has always been difficult. In standing up against the Chinese giant, both the ruling and opposition camps must remain on high alert and be extremely cautious to ensure the safety of the nation. The KMT has chosen to refuse to cooperate or negotiate with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), while wishfully pining for "a third cooperation between the KMT and the CCP." The refusal to reconcile within Taiwan has caused the rivalry between the opposition and ruling camps to continue. That the KMT has opted to shake hands with the enemy is beyond comprehension.
KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) is also making plans for a China trip. Herds of KMT members will surely follow suit. One can hardly believe that this is taking place. It is also hard to understand the rationale behind the KMT's moves. In the almost century-long love-hate relationship between the KMT and the CCP, the KMT has been repeatedly taken advantage of by the CCP.
The KMT regime lost its rule over China in 1949. Yet it failed to learned its lesson and chose to repeat is mistake and tread on a path of destruction.
At the time of the first cooperation between the two parties, the CCP had been established for less than three years and had only a small number of members. The CCP was inciting rebellions by farmers and workers with slogans about "class struggles" and, as a result, was faced with crackdowns by the warlords in various parts of China. Had Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) not -- due to practical needs -- decided to tolerate the Communists in an attempt to seek the assistance and support of the Soviet Union, the CCP would have collapsed decades ago.
As a result of the first KMT-CCP cooperation, CCP members were allowed to join the KMT as individuals, allowing the party to rapidly thrive through the KMT and almost taking over the KMT as a result. Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) then purged the Communists from the KMT while on his way to the Northward Expedition, the campaign to stamp out the "communist bandits" in the north. But while the Communists suffered major blows, their strength could no longer be ignored. They had become a force, both in terms of military strength and party organization.
Chiang then adopted the strategy of suppressing internal disorder before fighting external threats, repeatedly cracking down on the Communists in the regions occupied by them. As a result, the Communists had to flee on foot -- for more than 25,000km -- all the way to Ianan, Shanxi Province.
During its time in Ianan, the CCP's survival hung by a thread. However, through successful propaganda tactics, the Communists managed to convinced military leaders in charge of annihilating the Communists, including Chang Hsueh-liang (張學良) and Yang Hu-cheng (楊虎城), to kidnap Chiang, the so-called "Xian Incident." Chiang was coerced into stopping the campaign to stamp out the CCP and to incorporate the communist troops into the KMT government, as well as to legalized autonomy by the regional Chinese communist government. The parties agreed to fight the Japanese together. This was the so-called second CCP-KMT cooperation, which not only saved the Communists from extinction but gave them legal grounds for military expansion.
The CCP was able to build up strength primarily for the covert purpose of standing up against the KMT in the future. After World War II, and with the assistance of the Soviet Union, the party became a force on par with the KMT within China. The two parties competed to take over territories previously occupied by Japan.
In other words, the cooperation between the two parties on the two prior occasions had saved the Communists, allowing the CCP to thrive and the KMT to decline. At the end, the tables were finally turned on the KMT.
Sadly, the Chinese people who had just been relieved of the pain of World War II were faced with an even bigger war. The truth of the matter is that at the time, the Communists were still not an unconquerable problem. Their strategy in negotiations, however, was more effective than their military might.
After repeated negotiations and the mediation by the US, the morale of the KMT troops was beyond salvaging. The KMT had lost the chance to defeat the enemy. In the end, it lost everything and China fell into the hands of the CCP. During the Chinese civil war, the most important negotiation between the two sides took place in the 1945 summit between Chiang and Mao Zedong (毛澤東) in Chungking. During that meeting, Mao shouted "Long live Commissioner Chiang," and humbly called Chiang "Mr. Chiang" and "Commissioner" repeatedly.
As a result of the meeting, a "Double Ten Meeting Summary" was signed by the two sides. The summary indicated that Mao was to "support Chairman Chiang's leadership status." However, as soon as Mao returned to Ianan, he ordered his troops to make frontal assaults, turning the summary into a meaningless piece of paper before the ink on it was even dry. Another negotiation took place after Chiang stepped down from power.
The then acting president, Lee Tsung-jen (李宗仁), initiated negotiations to surrender to the CCP. Lee had hoped to reach a consensus with the CCP for the two parties to separately rule the areas they occupied. However, the CCP was not interested and was determined to annihilate the KMT.
While the negotiations were still underway, Mao declared in the editorial he had written for Xinhua News Agency that "by time, there is no need to utter empty words ... the People's Liberation Army is about to head for Jiangnan. This is not an empty threat, regardless of whether you accepted the eight-point agreement or not, the PLA must move forward."
After the KMT lost China and went into exile in Taiwan, the CCP was unable to cross the Taiwan Strait. But it repeatedly offered to negotiate with the KMT. However, Chiang and his son Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) refused each offer.
The most famous attempt by the CCP for negotiation took place in 1982. KMT elder Liao Chung-kai's (廖仲愷) son, Liao Cheng-chi (廖承志), wrote an open letter to Chiang Ching-kuo, quoting Lu Xun's (魯迅) poem about brothers reconciling after having gone through much tribulations in life.
However, Chiang Ching-kuo knew only too well what the CCP was all about. Besides, he had already decided upon political nativization in Taiwan. Therefore, the KMT had Soong Mayling (宋美齡) send a reply to Liao, lecturing him as a family elder and essentially rejecting the proposal. Throughout his life, Chiang Ching-kuo insisted on the principle of "three nos" -- no negotiating, no compromising and no contact with the CCP.
Learning from history can help to avoid a repeat of mistakes and tragedies. Looking back, the history of cooperation and negotiations between the KMT and the CCP have led to only bloodshed, and tears. It is indeed a part of history that one barely has the heart to revisit. As Soong said in her letter to Liao, the lessons from the two experiences negotiating with the CCP had been painful and unforgettable. The third time would definitely not be the charm.
Sadly, today's KMT leaders do not spend more time thinking about how to win over the support of the people and become a vital element in Taiwan's political democracy as a way of regaining power. Instead, they have set off on the wrong path and decided to try their luck by cooperating with the CCP for a third time. The KMT's behavior is truly pathetic. Such unwise, self-destructive behavior can only lead the KMT to the gates of hell.
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