KMT Chairwoman Hung: KMT Will Continue to Push for Cross-Strait Relations Based on the “1992 Consensus”

KMT Press Release

KMT Chairwoman Hung: KMT Will Continue to Push for Cross-Strait Relations Based on the “1992 Consensus”

Source: KMT Culture and Communications Committee

May 4, 2016

KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) stated during the weekly KMT Central Standing Committee meeting on May 5 that no matter what the political situation would be in the future, the KMT would continue to push for cross-Strait relations based on the “1992 Consensus (九二共識).” If the DPP failed to manage cross-Strait issues well, the KMT would play the role of stabilizing cross-Strait relations in order to safeguard the interests of people on Taiwan. Meanwhile, the KMT would strengthen its work on Mainland affairs. By doing so, the KMT planned to strengthen the functions of the Department of Mainland Affairs within the party. The KMT would continue to strive for the future of Taiwan.    

The KMT invited Andrew Hsia (夏立言), Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), to the weekly KMT Central Standing Committee meeting to deliver a report, titled “The Situation in the Mainland and Cross-Strait Relations,” after which KMT legislator Yang Cheng-wu (楊鎮浯) gave additional remarks on the topic.   

After hearing the report, Chairwoman Hung stated that since the KMT came to power in 2008, the KMT government made many significant achievements in cross-Strait relations. On the common political grounds of the “1992 Consensus,” leaders on the two sides of the Strait met in Singapore on November 7, 2015. The chiefs in charge of cross-Strait affairs on the two sides of the Straits met on four occasions. There were 11 high-level talks between the Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the Mainland’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), which resulted in 23 cross-Strait agreements. People-to-people and economic/trade exchanges across the Taiwan Straits had brought Taiwan tremendous economic benefits. The close cross-Strait relationship is unprecedented. Over the past eight years, we saw no military tensions or conflicts caused by a diplomatic tug of war. The KMT government stood fast for Taiwan’s security, prosperity and dignity.  

Chairwoman Hung stated that the DPP would assume power on May 20. Many people questioned whether or not the DPP was capable of maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Straits. Even now, the DPP has refused to give up its Taiwan Independence Party Platform (台灣獨立黨綱) or accept the “1992 Consensus.” The DPP repeatedly uses hollow rhetoric to mask its pro-Taiwan independence stance.      

Chairwoman Hung pointed out that the stability of cross-Strait relations is being undermined. The mutual trust built up between the two sides of the Straits over the past eight years under KMT rule is also being depleted by the DPP. The KMT is extremely concerned about the DPP government’s capability in managing future cross-Strait relations, thus bringing people of Taiwan back to where they had been before 2008. We foresee that cross-Strait economic exchanges will decline, the number of Mainland tourists visiting Taiwan will dwindle, military tensions may arise, and the diplomatic truce could end. The security, prosperity, and dignity achieved by the KMT over the past eight years could go down the drain overnight.      

Chairwoman Hung stated that the DPP created cross-Strait conflicts on issues of self-identity. From the remarks made by the DPP’s Culture Minister-designate, Education Minister-designate and DPP legislators, the DPP would definitely push for policies of “de-sinicization” and “cultural Taiwan independence” after the DPP comes to power on May 20. We are worried that there would be no common political foundation in future cross-Strait relations and that the gap between Taiwan and the Mainland on issues of self-identification in culture would increase. The very foundation of cross-Strait relations could be seriously undermined. The confrontations across the Straits would become more serious, which was definitely unfavorable to Taiwan.            

KMT legislator Yang Cheng-wu stated that according to an opinion poll conducted by the Mainland Affairs Council recently, most people favored maintenance of the status quo. Maintaining the status quo is easy, but there are conditions, including how cross-Strait relations are defined and whether or not cross-Strait communication channels remain smooth.

Yang added that in the foreseeable future, Tsai’s remarks on the maintenance of the status quo would merely serve as a slogan. The KMT should not change its course just because mainstream vox populi had concerns regarding cross-Strait exchanges. The KMT must let people know that peaceful exchanges across the Strait are beneficial for the overall development of Taiwan. The KMT should stick to its moderate approach in pushing for peace and exchanges across the Straits.      

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