Governing and opposition lawmakers yesterday expressed hope that president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration address would make a breakthrough in cross-strait relations.
The nation’s 16th presidential inauguration is to be held on Monday next week, and it has been reported that the main content of Lai’s address has been finalized, with the domestic affairs component of the speech focused on national solidarity, communication with society, the economy and energy transition.
The address is also reported to continue the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) main policy theme of “our goodwill remains unchanged, our promise remains unchanged” laid out by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) since 2016, which means maintaining peace and the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait, reiterating the administration’s determination to protect Taiwan, but also expressing its goodwill to China.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
DPP caucus secretary-general Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said Lai’s inauguration address would be given in a steady tone and respond specifically to the three main themes of his election campaign, which are democracy and peace, innovation and prosperity, and justice and sustainability.
Regarding democracy and peace, Tsai’s policy direction has allowed Taiwan to join the world’s democratic alliance, so Lai would certainly continue Tsai’s cross-strait and international relations policy direction, showing goodwill to China, while stressing cooperation with democratic countries, she said.
Facing China’s increasing pressure on Taiwan, Wu said she expects Lai to make breakthroughs in cross-strait relations.
Lai should use his inaugural address to extend an olive branch to Beijing and ease the “hostile spiral” in cross-strait relations, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus deputy secretary-general Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) said yesterday.
“Cross-strait relations are a top priority. Lai should show goodwill and [attempt to] facilitate dialogue” with China, she said.
Hsu said Lai should do more in his speech to ease fears that he would pursue a sharply different approach to cross-strait issues, which she said was a concern of China and the US.
This is especially true given that Lai has previously referred to himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence,” she said.
As a first policy step, Hsu urged Lai to end a COVID-19-era ban on Taiwanese travel agencies organizing group tours to China, to allow cross-strait travel to “return to normal.”
More broadly, Lai should seek “a suitable plan” to gradually resume bilateral contacts between Taipei and Beijing, to ease the “hostile spiral” in the two sides’ relationship and avert a possible war, Hsu said.
Taiwan People’s Party caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that Tsai did not keep her promises of making constitutional, judicial and media reforms.
As Lai said he would follow Tsai’s policy directions, he should address how he would deal with these unfinished reforms in his inauguration address, Huang said.
Also in his address, Lai should clearly elaborate on whether he would push forward constitutional and judicial reforms, and how he would solve the problems of low salaries and high housing costs that young people face, he added.
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