The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday urged Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leaders to make clear their positions on the proposed suspension of the party’s so-called “Taiwan independence clause.”
The independence clause is an article in the DPP’s charter that calls for the establishment of a Republic of Taiwan.
Beijing has always said that the clause is a primary roadblock to engaging with the DPP.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) proposed on Thursday that the party abandon the clause in order to strengthen communications with China, sparking confusion over the DPP’s China policy and its position on independence.
KMT spokesman Yang Wei-chung (楊偉中) said yesterday that DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) should say whether they believe the clause remains a core value for the DPP.
“The Republic of China [ROC] is a sovereign country, and if the proposed suspension of the clause means that the DPP is moving closer to [recognition of] the ROC, the KMT would welcome such a transition,” he said.
Yang said the clause, which calls for a referendum on the creation of a Republic of Taiwan is not in line with public opinion or international reality.
“The DPP has participated in elections under the ROC’s constitutional system and was in power for eight years, but is still unable to face reality,” he said.
Su and many DPP members have shrugged off Ker’s proposal.
Suspending the clause, Su said, is a non-issue because the DPP views Taiwan as an independent and sovereign country given the constitutional amendments, presidential elections and legislative elections that have taken place over the years.
Yang said that since the DPP has not abolished the clause, it remains important for the party.
The party’s poor handling of the clause, he said, reflects the lack of consistency and the instability of its cross-strait policies.
Meanwhile yesterday, former minister of defense Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) said he was disappointed with Ker’s proposal, saying “it was inappropriate at this time that Ker should propose an amendment that dances to China’s tune.”
Tsai made the remarks at an event jointly hosted by the Taiwan United Nations Alliance and the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan.
Executive-director of the DPP’s Policy Research Committee, Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), who also took attended the event, said many were surprised by Ker’s “personal views” expressed during the party’s meeting on China policy on Thursday.
Wu added that Taiwan is an independent sovereign state, evident by its direct presidential and legislative elections and conscription system.
Additional reporting by Chen Ching-min
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
Weather conditions across Taiwan are expected to remain stable today, but cloudy to rainy skies are expected from tomorrow onward due to increasing moisture in the atmosphere, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). Daytime highs today are expected to hit 25-27°C in western Taiwan and 22-24°C in the eastern counties of Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung, data on the CWA website indicated. After sunset, temperatures could drop to 16-17°C in most parts of Taiwan. For tomorrow, precipitation is likely in northern Taiwan as a cloud system moves in from China. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover around 25°C, the CWA said. Starting Monday, areas
A Taiwanese software developer has created a generative artificial intelligence (AI) model to help people use AI without exposing sensitive data, project head Huang Chung-hsiao (黃崇校) said yesterday. Huang, a 55-year-old coder leading a US-based team, said that concerns over data privacy and security in popular generative AIs such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek motivated him to develop a personal AI assistant named “Mei.” One of the biggest security flaws with cloud-based algorithms is that users are required to hand over personal information to access the service, giving developers the opportunity to mine user data, he said. For this reason, many government agencies and
The National Fire Agency on Thursday said a series of drills simulating a magnitude 8.5 earthquake would be held in September to enhance the government’s emergency response capabilities. Since earthquakes cannot be predicted, only by continuously promoting disaster prevention measures could Taiwan enhance its resilience to earthquakes, agency Director-General Hsiao Huan-chang (蕭煥章) said in a news release. The exercises would be held to mark annual National Disaster Prevention Day on Sept. 21, the aim of which is to test Taiwan’s preparedness and improve its earthquake resilience in case of a major temblor, Hsiao said. As part of those drills, an earthquake alert would