《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Hung expresses hope for peace on way to China

By Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu （洪秀柱） yesterday expressed her hope that peace and stability would be created across the Taiwan Strait as she left for her first trip to China as KMT chairwoman, saying that her party would continue serving as a promoter of cross-strait relations amid the suspension of official communications between Taipei and Beijing.

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“Although the official communication channels across the Strait have been cut off since May 20, the KMT is willing to continue serving as a promoter of cross-strait ties in an effort to keep unofficial interactions running,” Hung said at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.

Calling her five-day trip a “journey for peace,” Hung said she would not allow people on either side of the Taiwan Strait to grow estranged due the alienation between their governments.

Despite the Democratic Progressive Party’s pro-independence policy, there is mutual trust between Beijing and the KMT, Hung said, adding that her party’s efforts to promote cross-strait peace are for the sake of the 23 million Taiwanese and future generations.

Regarding recent intraparty conflict over the content of the so-called “1992 consensus,” Hung said unification is a goal shared by all KMT members and that they all seek a more solid foundation for cross-strait peace and mutual trust.

“Within the historical tide, we do not need to bicker over one sentence or one word, or blow things out of proportion,” Hung said.

The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and Beijing that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means. Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi （蘇起） in 2006 said he had made up the term in 2000.

Hung’s camp has engaged in heated altercations with that of former president Ma Ying-jeou （馬英九） and former vice president Wu Den-yih （吳敦義）, who have cited the KMT’s new policy platform as an indicator that Hung is championing the formula of “one China, same interpretation.”

The platform, passed by a KMT national congress on Sept. 4, only mentions the “different interpretations” aspect of the “1992 consensus” once as part of the party’s history and omits the term in the latter part of the platform, which sets out the party’s main policy.

According to Hung’s itinerary, she is today to lead a delegation to pay tribute to Republic of China founder Sun Yat-sen （孫中山） at his mausoleum in Nanjing, before heading to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping （習近平） tomorrow.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES