Some Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members yesterday voiced dissent after KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) on Tuesday said that the party leadership has drafted amendments to the party’s policy platform, which is to be discussed at the party’s national congress on Sunday, to align its efforts to strengthen the so-called “1992 consensus” and explore the potential for a “peace agreement” with Beijing.
Hung made the remarks during a televised interview aired by CtiTV on Tuesday evening, saying that she “does not rule out” meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and that the KMT would “explore [a peace agreement with China] after becoming the ruling party.”
The proposed amendments are to be the first high-priority item to be discussed at Sunday’s congress, she said.
While Hung maintained that the amendments and proposed negotiations with Beijing “do not in any way deviate” from the party’s goals, several KMT members expressed contrasting views.
The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday quoted KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) as saying that the precondition for a peace agreement with China is “consensus in Taiwan and sufficient popular support.”
KMT Central Standing Committee member Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) told the United Daily News that it was inappropriate for the party to show initiative in cross-strait issues, adding that view was broadly supported by party members.
“Major policy proposals should be bottom-up discussions. I do not understand why the party leadership is rushing this,” KMT Legislator Lai Shih-bao (賴士葆) told the United Daily News. “At the very least, the party’s rank-and-file members should have been consulted, and the KMT Central Standing Committee should have voted on the issue before it was submitted to the national congress.”
Hung also said that KMT-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forums would be renamed “cross-strait” forums and that the topics of discussion would not be limited to trade and cultural issues, adding that the KMT has a “moral obligation” to engage in diplomacy, as President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) government is “unable to solve cross-strait problems.”
Hung criticized Tsai’s comments about Taiwan’s “naturally independence-leaning” younger generations, saying: “It is an artificial pro-independence sentiment ... [that was] manipulated by politicians who made young people forget about the Republic of China’s history and cross-strait ties to “cut the umbilical cord” between Taiwan and China.”
Those who believe that Taiwan and China are separate countries should amend the Constitution, Hung said.
“Young people who want to change things should be told that they have to pay a price. The forerunners and heroes of the KMT showed fortitude and a willingness to sacrifice everything to overthrow the Qing Dynasty,” Hung said.
“Do they have such will?” the chairwoman asked.
Hung also said that the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例) is “illegal” and “unconstitutional,” adding that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who was expelled from the KMT in 2001, should answer for the disappearance of party assets that occurred during his tenure as president and party chairman.
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted to making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
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
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated