Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairperson candidates yesterday focused on the so-called “1992 consensus” during a televised policy debate ahead of next week’s election.
KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said the party should return to the “original definition of the consensus,” adding that the concept was no longer a poison pill for voters, as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had demonstrated its inability to handle cross-strait relations.
The “1992 consensus” — a term that 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 (CCP) that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Photo courtesy of CTV
Former KMT chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said that he has also emphasized that each side has its own interpretation of the “1992 consensus” and had reiterated this to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) when they met in 2015.
“In essence, there must be a creative ambiguity, instead of clear-cut clarity,” Chu said.
Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中) said that while the “1992 consensus” should remain the party’s guiding principle, it is outmoded and can no longer address the political situation of cross-strait relations.
If elected, he said he would visit Beijing to find common ground that both sides can accept and to sign a memorandum of understanding for peace, adding that this would require that both sides take a step back.
Former Changhua County commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) said that the DPP’s abandonment of the “1992 consensus” has led to heightened tensions across the strait, adding that he believed attempts to deepen the “consensus” would be the way toward peace.
On whether the party should change its name, Chu said he was “absolutely against” changing it to “Taiwan Kuomintang.”
Such an act would sever the party from its past, he said, adding that the KMT should push against efforts to create pro-Taiwan independence high-school curricula, which would mislead young people about the nation’s roots.
Chang said the KMT was founded by Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) and had a century’s history and glory to its name, adding that the word Chinese (中國) in the party’s official name also held meaning.
“It is a place that our revolutionary forefathers spilled blood for,” Chang said, adding that the word does not simply mean the People’s Republic of China, as “it also means us. We are Chinese. Taiwanese are Chinese, as they are also Taiwanese.”
During the debate, Chu said that if Chang were elected, he would steer the KMT toward rapid unification, while Chang said that he was “extremely unhappy” that Chu was attempting to divide the party.
Instead of lobbing accusations that the KMT is leaning toward China and selling out the country or that the DPP is simply a stooge for the US, Chiang said that the country needs to sit down with the CCP to discuss matters, adding that he is willing to visit China should he be re-elected.
He said that the KMT must bring the fight to the DPP, as Taiwanese have for a long time been subject to a single source of information.
The KMT chairperson election is set for Saturday next week.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
‘POOP ON STAGE’: The song, which talks about the reluctance to graduate and anxiety about a lack of job opportunities, resonated with many students’ feelings The original song Poop on Stage has been chosen as National Taiwan University’s (NTU) graduation song this year, sparking much debate regarding the song’s title and content, which describes students’ anxiety about post-graduation unemployment. The title, Shang Tai Da Bian (上台大便), is a play on words that literally means “go on stage to poop.” The first three characters, shang tai da (上台大), also mean “to attend NTU,” as “Taida” is a common abbreviation for the university. The last character, bian (便), can mean “convenient” or “then,” but is more commonly associated with defecation. The lyrics of the song describe students’ reluctance to graduate and
RSS