Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday called for relations with China to be returned to a state of “no unification, no independence and no use of force,” and proposed the establishment of a committee on the development of peace across the Taiwan Strait.
Chiang made the remarks at the KMT’s weekly Central Standing Committee meeting in Taipei — the final one over which he would preside before taking a leave of absence next week to campaign for re-election as KMT chairman.
He began his address by thanking the nation’s delegation for its success at the Tokyo Olympic Games, which closed on Sunday, adding that the KMT would stand with the athletes and work to improve the domestic sports environment.
Photo: CNA
This year’s Olympic Games have revealed “deep concerns,” he said, as instead of easing tensions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, the Games provoked hostile comments online.
“People on both sides of the Strait once again fell into a downward ‘malicious spiral,’” Chiang said. “In the past, the two sides of the Strait have had the glory of peaceful and stable development, to which the 1992 consensus was key.”
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 Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Since the KMT’s proposal in September last year of the concept of a “1992 consensus based on the Republic of China Constitution,” public understanding and trust in the consensus has gradually recovered, Chiang said.
The notion of a “1992 consensus based on the Republic of China Constitution” would allow the “1992 consensus” to “continue to become the main option for Taiwanese,” as well as earn the KMT public trust and stabilize cross-strait relations, he said.
The policy of “no unification, no independence and no use of force” proposed by the administration of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) ensured peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, Chiang said.
Over the past five years, the Democratic Progressive Party and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) have shown that “relying on empty words alone cannot maintain the peaceful status quo of the past,” he said.
Chiang proposed “returning to a peaceful state of ‘no unification, no independence and no use of force.’”
Of primary interest would be to build a consensus within Taiwan, he said.
It would be necessary to launch a “cross-strait peace development committee,” Chiang said, adding that such a committee could either be established by the KMT or set up jointly with other political parties and organizations.
The committee could serve as a national forum on the future of cross-strait relations and promote meaningful dialogue across generations and political affiliations, he said.
The KMT is scheduled to hold elections for its chairperson and delegates of its National Congress on Sept. 25.
KMT members have to register their candidacy on Monday or Tuesday next week.
‘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 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
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as