The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday.
Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not.
While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and says they are not Chinese, he said, adding that the TPP takes a middle-of-the-road position, although it does not have a strong opinion on the issue.
Photo courtesy of Ma Ying-Jeou’s office
The KMT has not changed, and cannot change, its pro-unification stance on the Taiwan issue, as the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution does not exclude the option of unification, Ma said.
The KMT’s opposes Taiwanese independence and is in favor of “peace,” aligning with the opinion of the vast majority in Taiwan, he said.
Taiwanese who support independence are few, he added.
Ma said Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is believed to be “more peaceable” than Lai.
“President Lai often proclaims himself as a pragmatic Taiwanese independence worker, but seeking Taiwanese independence is not pragmatic as it can never be achieved,” he said.
“That is why sometimes we think he is a bit naive,” Ma added.
Ma said he does not consider cross-strait tensions to be concerning for the moment, because neither the US nor China are willing to go to war.
“Of course, we dare not say it will never happen,” he said, adding that it is “not impossible, but unlikely.”
He also said he believes China “cherishes” its economic and technological achievements, so it would not rush into a war.
“I am not that pessimistic about the US-China relationship,” Ma said, adding that he believes both sides know war would lead to a lose-lose situation.
Peaceful competition between the US and China could benefit both sides, as the US would not stay ahead of China forever in some fields, he said.
China would not rashly wage a war against Taiwan as Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) knows that there are millions of Taiwanese businesspeople in China and Taiwanese would not accept it if China does not adopt a peaceful and democratic approach to achieve unification, Ma said.
Asked about the potential impact of this year’s US presidential election on cross-strait stability, Ma said he is concerned.
However, neither US President Joe Biden, nor Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump would deal with China by any means other than peaceful, as the US could not afford the price of war, he said.
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