Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said on Friday that the KMT has faith that Taiwan’s supporters in the US believe that his party is able to serve as an anchor to maintain regional stability, adding that he was confident the KMT’s stance had been well received by the US.
Chu made the remarks in the US, where he departed for from Taiwan on Thursday night Taipei time, with his first stop being San Francisco, where he visited the KMT’s US headquarters on Friday US West Coast time for its annual assembly and to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the founding of the party.
In 1894, Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) founded the Society for Regenerating China (興中會), which later merged into the Tongmenghui (同盟會) and was re-established as the KMT on Oct. 10, 1919.
Photo: CNA
On the sidelines of a training forum attended by KMT staff, Chu said the party’s core policy to deal with powers around Taiwan is to “stay close to the US, be friends with Japan and maintain peace with China.”
Chu said he believed the KMT and the US share the same goal of boosting regional stability through dialogue with China instead of confrontation.
The KMT is seeking a balance by getting along with Washington and Beijing at the same time, Chu said.
He added that this year would be a critical year for the US, referring to the upcoming presidential election in November.
KMT representatives attended the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin in July and the party would send a delegation comprised of KMT legislators to the Democratic National Convention scheduled to begin on Monday in Chicago.
The purpose of attending the conventions is to deepen dialogue with the party’s US allies so they can get a better understanding of the KMT’s policy of staying close to the US, Chu said.
The KMT has been reshaping itself in recent years to make the organization younger such as by recruiting younger blood and urges young overseas Taiwanese to join the party, Chu said, adding that he hopes more young people would serve as KMT party representatives.
Chu said that by visiting the KMT’s US headquarters in San Francisco, he aimed to unite the party’s representatives in the US and Canada.
He also expressed gratitude for the long-term support from overseas Taiwanese communities there.
During his stay in San Francisco, Chu also attended a forum organized by the Stanford, California-based Hoover Institution and held discussions with more than 25 academics.
Chu said the forum focused on three major topics: Energy issues in Taiwan, the attitude of people in Taiwan toward the upcoming presidential vote in the US and regional stability.
Chu said many of the US academics he met had served in US Republican or Democrat governments and they said that no matter which party wins the upcoming presidential election, Washington is expected to maintain stable ties with Taipei.
Chu said he told them that Taiwan is an “important ally” of the US and would continue to be so.
Kharis Templeman, one of the US scholars attending the forum, said that Hoover Institution academics are planning to visit Taiwan next month.
Later on the same day, Chu met with representatives from Silicon Valley to discuss technology and competitiveness.
Chu was scheduled to fly to Houston yesterday to attend the Taiwan Benevolent Association of America’s 46th annual convention.
After his visit to Houston, Chu is expected to stay in the US for some time for personal reasons as his two children are studying there. The KMT did not provide information about when the chairman would wrap up his trip to the US.
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