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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Cross-strait policy must change: KMT group
Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） Taipei City Councilor Lo Chih-chiang, third right, yesterday speaks at a news conference with other members of a KMT group known as “+1” outside the party’s Taipei headquarters. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
TIMES ARE CHANGING: The group said if no one supports the ‘1992 consensus,’ which was decided on 28 years ago when Taiwan and China had different leaders, it is ‘useless’
By Ann Maxon / Staff reporter
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） members known as “+1” yesterday called for a debate among party members on cross-strait policy.
To facilitate discussion on the subject, “+1” has launched a Facebook group with the same name and invited party members and others to propose new ideas for the party’s cross-strait policy.
“The KMT has never denied that mainland China is a threat to Taiwan, but it also shares close trade ties, as well as the same language and races as Taiwan,” the group said in a statement.
All KMT members must work together to find a way to interact with China to ensure the most benefits for Taiwan, it said.
The statement was signed by more than 20 KMT members, including Taipei city councilors Lo Chih-chiang （羅智強）, Yu Shu-hui （游淑慧）, Chang Shi-gang （張斯綱）, legislator-elect Hung Meng-kai （洪孟楷） and KMT Youth League head Tien Fang-luen （田方倫）.
The “1992 consensus,” which has served as the basis of the KMT’s cross-strait policy for years, is a historical event that took place 28 years ago, Yu told a news conference held by “+1” outside KMT headquarters in Taipei.
As both sides of the Taiwan Strait have had changes in leadership, people now think differently about cross-strait relations, she said.
“If mainland China insists that there is only one China, while we insist that China has two interpretations, is that considered a consensus?” she asked.
The KMT must begin new discussions about its cross-strait stance, she said, adding: “A stance that people do not support is useless, no matter how good we think it is.”
The Facebook group would serve as a platform for KMT members to exchange opinions and reach a consensus on the party’s future, Lo said.
In the group, members would draft statements about key issues and every statement that collects 20 or more signatures from other party members would be formally issued as a joint statement, he said.
While “+1” has more than 50 KMT members, the Facebook group has more than 30,000 members, Lo said.
The Facebook group would hopefully also provide a place for the KMT’s chairperson candidates to share their visions regarding cross-strait policy and other issues, he said.
Tien said if the group comes up with a clear direction for the party, he would propose it to the KMT Central Standing Committee, as he is a committee member.
National Taiwan University political science professor Chang Ya-chung （張亞中）, who has announced that he would run for KMT chairman, also attended the news conference.
He said that he strongly supports the idea of having a debate on the KMT’s cross-strait stance.
“While the Democratic Progressive Party’s pursuit of Taiwanese independence will take Taiwan to a dead-end, the KMT’s stance of ‘one China, with each side having its own interpretation of what one China means’ fails to promise any future,” he said.
“It is very difficult for Taiwanese to accept Beijing’s ‘one country, two systems,’” he said, adding that he believes peaceful cross-strait incorporation would be the most ideal approach.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi （蘇起） in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
