On Monday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to play his part in the Republic of China’s (ROC) subservient relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). By doing so, Chu proved he is unable to look after the interests of Taiwanese — or respond to criticism from the public, other than by rhetorically asking why the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) does not have a relationship with the CCP like the KMT has.
Chu is really no different from President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) — he pretends to be soft and loveable, while feigning stupidity when required. The young KMT chairman, imitating Ma, is unable to see the wood for the trees and is clearly beyond help.
The public is left asking: What right does the KMT have to conduct relations with the CCP?
The KMT is of course the CCP’s old foe; whereas the DPP, born out of Taiwan’s native soil, reflects the public’s desire to become master of its own affairs, free from the clutches of a foreign ruler and with no enmity toward China.
Taiwanese find the KMT’s pompous, dictatorial attitude irksome. During the Martial Law era, the party demanded that all Taiwanese join them in its quest to sha zhu ba mao (殺朱拔毛) — a play on words referring to killing then-People’s Liberation Army general Zhu De (朱德) and getting rid of then-CCP chairman Mao Zedong (毛澤東).
Former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) persevered with his “three noes” policy — no negotiation, no compromise and no contact — as a way of dealing with the CCP, fully aware that a government involved in secret communications with the “communist bandits” would be disdained by the public.
Nevertheless, following democratization, former vice president Lien Chan (連戰), having suffered successive electoral setbacks but unwilling to accept defeat, ran off to Beijing as then-KMT chairman for a meeting with then-Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤). In doing so, Lien accepted the principle that there is only “one China,” and that Taiwan is a part of China.
Ma, first as Lien’s successor as KMT chairman and then as president, seeking to restore one-party rule, has worked even harder to lead Taiwan into a “one China” framework. Ma, once an angry young anti-communist, holds up the Constitution that has been forced on the Taiwanese and recklessly claims that Taiwan is part of China, while simultaneously denying that he is selling out Taiwan. However, most Taiwanese do not see it that way.
By virtue of the existing reality, backed up by international law, it is clear that Taiwan is not part of China — even less so a province of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Because of the legal situation and the reality that is Taiwan, Beijing pressures other countries to acknowledge that Taiwan belongs to China and demands that Taiwan accepts this claim.
Beijing loves to proclaim that Taiwan is part of China; that is its own affair. However, for Ma’s administration to express agreement and even accept Beijing’s words — calling it a “consensus” — is nothing short of treachery and betrays the nation.
Neither the KMT nor the DPP has the right to accept that Taiwan belongs to a foreign country — the nation’s future may only be decided by the 23 million Taiwanese.
The current crop of KMT politicians have betrayed their predecessors within the party — and all of Taiwan — by forming a demeaning and subservient relationship with the CCP. The KMT’s actions should be thoroughly investigated by the public.
Chu has misunderstood who his opposite number is and failed to ask the right questions.
James Wang is a media commentator.
Translated by Edward Jones
Taiwan is a small, humble place. There is no Eiffel Tower, no pyramids — no singular attraction that draws the world’s attention. If it makes headlines, it is because China wants to invade. Yet, those who find their way here by some twist of fate often fall in love. If you ask them why, some cite numbers showing it is one of the freest and safest countries in the world. Others talk about something harder to name: The quiet order of queues, the shared umbrellas for anyone caught in the rain, the way people stand so elderly riders can sit, the
Taiwan’s fall would be “a disaster for American interests,” US President Donald Trump’s nominee for undersecretary of defense for policy Elbridge Colby said at his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday last week, as he warned of the “dramatic deterioration of military balance” in the western Pacific. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is indeed facing a unique and acute threat from the Chinese Communist Party’s rising military adventurism, which is why Taiwan has been bolstering its defenses. As US Senator Tom Cotton rightly pointed out in the same hearing, “[although] Taiwan’s defense spending is still inadequate ... [it] has been trending upwards
Small and medium enterprises make up the backbone of Taiwan’s economy, yet large corporations such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) play a crucial role in shaping its industrial structure, economic development and global standing. The company reported a record net profit of NT$374.68 billion (US$11.41 billion) for the fourth quarter last year, a 57 percent year-on-year increase, with revenue reaching NT$868.46 billion, a 39 percent increase. Taiwan’s GDP last year was about NT$24.62 trillion, according to the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, meaning TSMC’s quarterly revenue alone accounted for about 3.5 percent of Taiwan’s GDP last year, with the company’s
There is nothing the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) could do to stop the tsunami-like mass recall campaign. KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) reportedly said the party does not exclude the option of conditionally proposing a no-confidence vote against the premier, which the party later denied. Did an “actuary” like Chu finally come around to thinking it should get tough with the ruling party? The KMT says the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is leading a minority government with only a 40 percent share of the vote. It has said that the DPP is out of touch with the electorate, has proposed a bloated
RSS