Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - The chairman of Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), said in Washington that it is w...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - The chairman of Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), said in Washington that it is wrong to call it pro-China because it has always been pro-U.S. and wants to protect the island while also talking to Beijing.
The KMT was in charge of China until 1949, when the Communists won a civil war and forced the KMT to flee to Taiwan. It has always favored close ties with Beijing, which has put it at odds with most Taiwanese, who don't have much in common with China's dictatorship.
The KMT did not do well in the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2020. The Democratic Progressive Party, which was in power at the time, kept saying that the KMT would sell Taiwan to Beijing.
During a trip to Washington, KMT Chairman Eric Chu slammed people who say they are pro-China. He did this at the Brookings Institution late Monday night, Taipei time.
"Some people give us the wrong name, and some media say we are a pro-China party. This is not true at all. We will always be a pro-U.S. party "When he spoke, he used English.
Taiwan needs strong defenses, Chu said. When he took his current job in September, he promised to turn things around for the party.
"You have to get ready for war if you want peace. Self-defense is the most important thing for peace and order."
When Chu ran for president in 2016, he lost badly to the current president, Tsai Ing-wen. Chu could run for president again in 2024, but he hasn't said that he wants to.
He said again that the party was in favor of talking to China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, in order to keep things stable.
In the past two years or so, Beijing has increased its military activities near Taiwan and refused to talk to Tsai, whom it sees as a separatist.
Tsai says that they want to talk with Beijing, but only as equals, and that only the people of Taiwan can decide what will happen to them in the future.
Chu said that Taiwan can help the West learn more about China and serve as an example for its big neighbor.
"Taiwan has democracy, so why can't China? We have to wait for this to happen, but Taiwan can show us how to do this."
