Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members are being urged to refrain from taking sides amid the controversy over KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) perceived inclination to remove the “different interpretations” clause from the so-called “1992 consensus.”
Posting on Facebook a joint statement issued by a number of the KMT’s city and county councilors on Saturday calling for party unity, Hung yesterday said that the party’s top priorities are to steer the nation toward the right path, lead the KMT out of its current predicament and protect the rights of the party’s employees.
“At such a difficult time, we cannot afford internal divisions. No one needs to take sides, because no one can shoulder the cost of ruptures within the party,” Hung said, adding that there is nothing that cannot be resolved through communication.
Hung said that as there are still members who are either concerned or unclear about the KMT’s new policy platform passed at the party’s national congress last month, she plans to tour the nation in the near future to better explain the platform to KMT members.
The policy platform, passed on Sept. 4, puts focus on furthering the “1992 consensus” on the basis of the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution and exploring the possibility of ending cross-strait hostility through a peace accord.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and Beijing that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means. Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) said in 2006 that he had made up the term in 2000.
The platform only mentions the “different interpretations” part once when talking about former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) success in deepening cross-strait interactions during his eight years in office, omitting what the pan-blue camp has considered as an integral element in the political framework in following mentions.
It has been seen as an attempt by Hung to move the KMT closer to the concept of “one China, same interpretation,” drawing criticism from a number of party heavyweights, including former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), who said during his recent visit to the US that the new platform could make it even harder for the KMT to survive in Taiwan.
Wu is reportedly planning to compete against Hung in the KMT’s chairperson race in the second half of next year.
Attending a ceremony yesterday marking the 20th anniversary of the World I-Kuan Tao Headquarters’ founding in Kaohsiung, Hung dismissed the possibility of holding a debate within the KMT to decide the direction of the party’s cross-strait policies.
“Our direction is abiding by the ROC Constitution and complying with whatever regulations that are stipulated in it,” Hung said. “But we must better explain ourselves to the public, particularly to the party members.”
‘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
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS