Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday urged President William Lai (賴清德) to promote cross-party cooperation to break the political impasse created by partisan confrontation in the Legislative Yuan.
Chu said Lai should act as the nation’s president rather than as only the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) chairman with a mindset focused on “fighting against the KMT, opposition parties and Taiwanese.”
The KMT would be open to cooperation as soon as Lai shows willingness to push for unity across the political divide, he said during a New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony organized by the main opposition party in front of its headquarters in Taipei.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Taiwan’s success lies in cordial relations and cooperation between the central and local governments and different political parties, he said.
During his address at the flag-raising ceremony, Chu reiterated the KMT’s stance that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are part of a collective ethnic Chinese group and share the same culture.
The only difference between the two sides is in their respective political systems, he said, referring to the People’s Republic of China government in Beijing and the Taiwanese government in Taipei.
“Only by seeking common ground while respecting differences can the two sides of the Taiwan Strait maintain peace,” he said.
Meanwhile, during a question-and-answer session following his New Year’s address in the Presidential Office, Lai was asked if he would consider convening a round of cross-party talks featuring leaders of the ruling and opposition parties to end the impasse of the past few months.
Lai said it was part of his job as the country’s president to resolve partisan differences and push for a unified country for the benefit of Taiwan’s social stability and economic development.
One example of promoting unity was that he invited Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), a senior member of the KMT, to lead Taiwan’s official delegation to attend US president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony later this month, he said.
Before Han embarks on his trip to Washington, Lai said he planned to invite him and representatives across party lines in the delegation over “for coffee” to discuss major issues and Taiwan’s future development to facilitate closer cooperation.
He also called for unity within the country despite political differences, citing the importance of doing so, as Taiwan is facing a serious threat from the outside, referring to China.
Han thanked Lai for the invitation, adding that it is crucial that mutual trust across political lines can be restored to enhance smooth cooperation between the country’s executive and legislative branches.
The DPP, and the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), the two opposition parties, have been engaged in heated verbal and physical confrontations over the past months in the Legislative Yuan.
TPP lawmakers have sided with the KMT on legislation to push through bills that the DPP has opposed, including three bills passed late last month.
The bills, which triggered scuffles in the legislature, included new measures that tighten recall petition requirements, curb the Constitutional Court’s ability to rule on cases and change government revenue allocations.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said the Cabinet would take action to counter the bills as they are “difficult to implement.”
The TPP criticized Lai’s New Year’s address, saying that while the president mentioned “democracy” 26 times in his speech, he has used tactics such as obstruction, deception and intimidation to block the opposition’s progressive bills over the past year.
“It highlights how the ruling administration manipulates democracy to consolidate power, making the New Year’s speech disappointing and regrettable,” the TPP said in a statement.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS