The Republic of China (ROC) Constitution is the “rock” for stable cross-strait relations, a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) reform committee report presented at the party’s national congress yesterday said, adding that the “1992 consensus” should be applied to maintain cross-strait relations.
The KMT yesterday held its national congress at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei. The theme of this year’s congress was “Protect Taiwan, safeguard democracy and fight for the future.”
Following the KMT’s defeat in the Jan. 11 presidential and legislative elections, the party on March 31 established a reform committee that is divided into four groups: financial stability, organizational reform, youth participation and cross-strait discourse.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
KMT Deputy Secretary-General Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) delivered the committee report.
The committee advocates the ROC Constitution as the “rock” for stable cross-strait relations, and official cross-strait interactions should “respect the fact that the ROC exists,” the report said, adding that the “1992 consensus based on the ROC Constitution” should be applied to continue cross-strait interaction.
The KMT has for decades “resolutely opposed” Taiwan’s independence and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “one country, two systems” formula, as both would “eliminate the ROC’s sovereign state status,” it added.
A poll conducted among KMT members on party reform, which was released on Wednesday last week, found that 93.6 percent of respondents supported KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang’s (江啟臣) proposal that “the core value of the KMT is the ROC.”
Increasing membership dues to NT$300 next year, up from NT$200 this year, was among suggestions the committee made in the report.
Another was to limit the term of KMT Central Standing Committee members to one consecutive term, with a maximum term of eight years.
The committee report also proposed that no fewer than 15 percent of KMT Central Committee members be under the age of 40.
One in every five KMT nominees for legislator-at-large seats should be under the age of 40 and have an area of professional expertise, the report said.
In his opening remarks at the congress, Chiang, who won the KMT chairperson by-election on March 7, said he believed that there are two key KMT “traditions.”
“The first one is our core value; in the four simplest words, it is ‘the Republic of China,’” he said.
“The second tradition is the KMT’s continuous reform and introspection in its organization, strategy and practice — constantly innovating and seeking change,” he said.
He listed several developments in the party’s efforts to reform, including the establishment of an international affairs department in April, the resumption of Institute of Revolutionary Practice training sessions in July and the launch of a “digital chapter” on Thursday last week.
The KMT took the opportunity to promote the “digital chapter” — a mobile app that allows users to pay membership dues and participate in polls, among other functions.
“The KMT’s middle-of-the-road, steady policy line has long been a stabilizing force between the two sides” of the Taiwan Strait, Chiang said.
“Facing the current situation, we advocate continuing to promote cross-strait exchanges and dialogue, reversing the malicious spiral toward war and avoiding the recurrence of a cold war,” he said.
Former KMT chairpersons, including former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) and former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), also attended the congress.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Additional reporting by CNA
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
EYE ON STRAIT: The US spending bill ‘doubles security cooperation funding for Taiwan,’ while also seeking to counter the influence of China US President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a US$1.2 trillion spending package that includes US$300 million in foreign military financing to Taiwan, as well as funding for Taipei-Washington cooperative projects. The US Congress early on Saturday overwhelmingly passed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 to avoid a partial shutdown and fund the government through September for a fiscal year that began six months ago. Under the package, the Defense Appropriations Act would provide a US$27 billion increase from the previous fiscal year to fund “critical national defense efforts, including countering the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” according to a summary
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)