Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday welcomed US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan and dismissed rumors of fractured opinions within the party regarding the visit.
The KMT has always adopted a pro-US stance, Chu said.
The KMT’s official stance is that Pelosi’s visit is a welcome move, despite dissenting comments by individual party members, Chu said.
Photo: Wong Yu-huang, Taipei Times
Chu referred to remarks by Legislator Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷), who said “provoking the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] is unnecessary,” and Legislator Yeh Yu-lan (葉毓蘭), who said that Pelosi’s visit harms Taiwanese businesses, as China reacted by imposing import bans.
The KMT is dedicated to the defense of Taiwanese, upholding regional peace and looking out for Taiwan’s interests, Chu said, adding that the party is willing to work with all international friends who are sincere about their intent to boost the Republic of China’s interests.
Chu chided Beijing for resorting to military exercises to express its discontent over the visit, saying that his position has always been that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait must engage in dialogue and try to understand instead of antagonizing each other.
The US Congress represents the will of Americans, and while Washington’s policies toward China have not changed, Taiwan should welcome the support of the US public, he added.
Separately, KMT legislative caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗) said the KMT would stand with other democratic countries to jointly uphold peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Tseng made the remarks at the KMT caucus’ news conference after a closed-door meeting with Pelosi, Deputy Legislative Speaker Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) and three legislative caucus conveners of other parties.
“We hope the visit will bring about stability and peace in the Taiwan Strait,” Tseng said.
Tseng said that the talks dealt with enhancing supply chains, including the roles of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and other chipmakers.
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