“Cross-strait peace and a sovereign Taiwan” would be the basic theme voiced by Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) when he speaks with politicians and academics in the US next month, a TPP official said on Monday.
Ko, expected to be the TPP’s candidate for next year’s presidential race by the time he heads to the US on April 8, is to exchange views on cross-strait relations with people in the US, TPP Secretary-General Chou Tai-chu (周台竹) told a news conference.
He would also thank the US executive and legislative branches for their support of Taiwan in the past few years, Chou said.
Photo: Huang Ching-yu, Taipei Times
“Stuck between China and the US, Taiwan — although a small country — deserves a voice to make the two big powers understand that peace across the Taiwan Strait serves everyone’s interest, and Taiwan’s interest must be prioritized,” he said.
The impact of a potential war across the Taiwan Strait could be 10 times worse than that of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Chou said, citing the results of an analysis by a US think tank.
“Taiwan will not provoke war and it is not afraid of war, but the precondition to not being afraid of war is that Taiwan must be fully prepared for war and strengthen its defense forces to deter the occurrence of war,” Chou cited Ko as saying.
A 20-member TPP delegation comprising Ko, former Taipei deputy mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) and Chou would depart for New York on April 8, said Chen Chih-han (陳智菡), spokeswoman for Ko’s office.
While in New York, the delegation is to attend seminars at Columbia University, meet with Taiwanese expatriates and visit the Council for National Policy, Chen said.
On April 12, the mission would fly to Boston to attend symposiums with academics from Harvard University and visit biotech companies, she said.
Ko would be in Washington from April 16 to 21, where he is slated to give a speech and visit the Brookings Institution, the US Department of State and members of the US Congress, she said.
On April 21, Ko would travel to Houston, Texas, to visit Rice University and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center before flying back to Taiwan from New York on April 27, she added.
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