On April 20, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) sent 21 aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan within three hours. Much nearer to China, an incident in which a fishing boat capsized on Feb. 14 off Kinmen, resulting in two deaths, remains unresolved. Meanwhile, across the Pacific Ocean, it has been widely known for several years that the PLA Navy has surpassed the US Navy in sheer number of warships.
At least for the past two years, there have been strong calls in Washington for the US to ramp up its shipbuilding capacity to counter Beijing’s expansive blue-water presence.
In the face of heightened tensions, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia (夏立言) has reaffirmed his party’s capability to seamlessly and skillfully navigate through the turbulent waters across the Taiwan Strait and the Pacific Ocean.
I am writing this op-ed as someone who has staffed three out of the four US trips he has made since assuming the vice chairmanship.
Critics constantly attempt to tarnish the KMT’s nuanced approach across the Taiwan Strait and the Pacific, particularly by alleging that the KMT’s outreach “echoes [Chinese President] Xi Jinping (習近平)” and [that the KMT] colludes with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in its united front work.
The fact remains that the KMT has bridged relations between Taipei, Beijing and Washington since cross-strait relations eased toward the end of the Cold War.
The KMT is the sole political party with unhindered access to the highest levels of Washington and Beijing.
The KMT has clear political bottom lines and has repeatedly conveyed them to our friends in Beijing and Washington: The Republic of China (ROC) is a sovereign, independent country. Taiwan’s path forward should be determined by all Taiwanese — citizens of the ROC — in accordance with the liberal, democratic Constitution of the ROC.
When critics of the KMT say that KMT leaders, such as former president Ma Ying-Jeou (馬英九) and Hsia, visit China to “echo Xi’s ‘greater China’ dream,” they tend to forget that the KMT also echoes Xi’s wishes for all people to be happy and for the sun to shine.
Critics selectively disregard any and all of the nuances to the “one China” question and poison the well with partisan smears just to keep brainwashing their audience into believing that the KMT is a pro-Beijing party.
Yes, both sides of the Taiwan Strait agree that there is but one China.
No, the KMT and the CCP do not agree on and jointly decided more than three decades ago to table the political meaning of “one China.”
For the KMT, we are the ROC. As Ma elaborated when he was in China’s Hunan Province in April last year, the ROC Constitution states that the “Mainland Area” is part of the Republic of China, too.
China still remembers Hsia as one of the main organizers of the historic summit in 2015 between Ma and Xi in Singapore when Hsia was serving as minister of the Mainland Affairs Council.
Hsia left Taiwan on March 13 for a week-long trip to China, visiting the cities of Chongqing, Chengdu, Jinan and Qingdao.
Prior to that, in an arrangement made by the Chinese side, Hsia met in February with Chongqing Party Secretary and Politburo Member Yuan Jiajun (袁家軍).
Notably, in June last year, during the Straits Forum, Hsia met with the Chinese Politburo Standing Committee member and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧) in Xiamen.
At the same time, Hsia is adept at cultivating substantive relationships with friends and partners in the US. Upon completing his four-city tour in China in March, Hsia visited Washington on April 7.
He met with local Taiwanese-American KMT supporters, US administration officials, and members and staffers of the US Congress to deepen the amity between the KMT and the US.
Within a span of 10 days, he met with American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chair Laura Rosenberger twice — once in Taipei and once in Washington — showcasing the KMT’s steadfast dedication to promoting a robust, cordial and close relationship with the US, characterized by mutual trust, confidence and respect.
The US understands that multi-party politics forms the backbone and strength of Taiwanese democracy.
With the KMT holding a majority in the Legislative Yuan, the KMT’s Department of International Affairs is committed to fostering mutual understanding between the KMT caucus in the Legislative Yuan and the AIT.
The KMT supports a strong defense partnership with the US. The Republic of China’s defense spending should increase with perceived threats.
Hsia has been to China nine times since former US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022, but that should not come as a surprise to any long-time cross-strait relations watchers.
There are more than 150 Taiwanese business associations in China, and, from time to time, they need someone to deliver business complaints on their behalf to the relevant Chinese officials, as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government simply is not doing enough to protect Taiwanese business interests in China. Hsia’s predecessor, former KMT vice chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤), visited China 179 times over 10 years.
Hsia joins a long list of policymakers, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, who see value in managing risks through dialogue.
The KMT has long favored “being close to the US, friendly with Japan and peaceful with the mainland.”
It is forced to navigate through the turbulent waters between crucial international stakeholders to ensure that its core position and message are properly conveyed, understood and accepted.
The KMT’s vigorous relations with Washington and amicable relations with Beijing stem directly from its perception of Taiwan’s security environment. Its policies toward the US and China do not conflict with each other.
Therefore, the KMT has demonstrated itself to be the political party more capable of upholding peace and stability, as well as maintaining the original low-risk, low-tension “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait.
Hsia, despite having met with important Chinese political figures, need not carry a political agenda. He is welcomed by virtue of his deep understanding of China and his prior respectful interactions in official and unofficial capacities.
As an opposition party leader, without control over the government, the resources at his disposal nevertheless do not enable him to pursue any political agenda.
If he is invited to meet with any important figures, as a guest, he acts according to the convenience of the host. His visit to Washington follows the same logic.
Hsia served as head of the Political Section at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US and later as the deputy foreign minister of the ROC as a career foreign service officer. The connections and experiences he has amassed over the years valorize conversations with him.
While Hsia traveled to China in March, he brought three young leaders of the KMT with him.
Hsia has passed down valuable experiences by allowing younger party members to be involved in and exposed to how the KMT approaches the increasingly volatile external environment.
I invite all those concerned, including those from the DPP and future members of president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) administration, to reach out to the KMT’s Department of International Affairs.
Howard Shen is assistant director of international affairs for the KMT.
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