The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) core values are the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution and the ideas it champions, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said yesterday.
Chiang made the remarks at a ceremony to certify the chairs of the party’s chapters in Taipei’s 12 districts.
The Constitution promotes freedom, democracy, equality and human rights, as well as a government “of the people, by the people, for the people” Chiang said.
Photo: Shen Pei-yao, Taipei Times
Acknowledging the existence of the ROC is the basis of the “one China, different interpretations” component in the “1992 consensus,” based on which Taipei and Beijing inked 23 agreements, he said.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Some people suspect that the KMT has lost sight of its central belief, but such suspicion is unnecessary, he said, calling on KMT members to proclaim their intention to defend the ROC and the Constitution.
The KMT has encountered many challenges since the start of this year that merit change, which can only be implemented by the party headquarters shedding its power, empowering local chapters and engaging with the public, he said.
If the KMT wins the Kaohsiung mayoral by-election on Aug. 15, it would “bring itself back from the dead,” he said, calling on local chapters to aid the party in the election by calling Kaohsiung residents.
Separately, former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday brushed off comparisons to Chinese grand chancellor Cao Cao (曹操) of the Three Kingdoms period that suggest Chu wields the most influence in the KMT, as well as rumors that Chiang and former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) are forming an alliance against him.
“People must have watched too much TV during the COVID-19 pandemic and have gone overboard,” Chu told reporters. “It is not like hundreds of years ago. The nation is the ROC now.”
“Brother Johnny and I have always agreed to work together” not just within the party, but also when rallying external forces to the KMT’s cause, he said.
There is no point fighting at a time when the KMT is a weak, minority party, he said, adding that the party would be pathetic if it bowed to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) divide-and-conquer tactics.
There is not an “anti-Chu alliance,” only an “anti-DPP alliance,” Chu said, adding that the KMT’s top priority is to foster young and ambitious talent.
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
STAY VIGILANT: When experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, such as dizziness or fatigue, near a water heater, open windows and doors to ventilate the area Rooftop flue water heaters should only be installed outdoors or in properly ventilated areas to prevent toxic gas from building up, the Yilan County Fire Department said, after a man in Taipei died of carbon monoxide poisoning on Monday last week. The 39-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), an assistant professor at Providence University in Taichung, was at his Taipei home for the holidays when the incident occurred, news reports said. He was taking a shower in the bathroom of a rooftop addition when carbon monoxide — a poisonous byproduct of combustion — leaked from a water heater installed in a poorly ventilated
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