Taiwan’s main opposition party Kuomintang (KMT), has sent a delegation to mainland China amid heightened tensions, a move that has drawn criticism from the island’s ruling party, the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, the chair of the DPP, said the trip disappointed the people of Taiwan and sent the wrong message to the international community. The trip comes after China held unprecedented military exercises around Taiwan, a response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visiting the island.
KMT vice-chair Andrew Hsiam, who is leading the delegation, defended the trip to the mainland. In a press release, the KMT said the focus of the trip will be meeting with the Taiwanese business community in the mainland and that there are no plans to hold political talks with Beijing, although Hsiam left open the possibility of meeting with Chinese officials.
“We have not made any plans to meet with Chinese officials, although it is, of course, possible that they will reach out or we might encounter them in the context of our meetings with Taiwanese businesses,” Hsiam told Financial Times before leaving for the mainland.
A KMT source told the Taiwanese newspaper Liberty Times that the delegation was originally supposed to meet with top Chinese officials in charge of Taiwan relations, but the plans were scrapped after the itinerary was leaked.
Hsiam’s trip has also faced criticism from other KMT members, who are unhappy that it comes after China’s military exercises near Taiwan. But ultimately, the delegation represents the major split between the KMT and the DPP and how they view relations with Beijing.
The DPP leans toward independence and wants Taiwan to be a separate country from the mainland. However, Tsai says Taiwan is a de facto independent state and doesn’t need to officially declare independence, a move that would likely spark intervention from Beijing.
On the other hand, the KMT agrees with the one-China principle and leans more toward unifying with the mainland but has come under political pressure for its contacts with Beijing. The last time the KMT sent a delegation to the mainland was in 2019.
Hsaim’s delegation to the mainland came as China released a new white paper for Taiwan, which it hasn’t done since 2000. In the document, Beijing reaffirmed that its main goal is “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan but won’t rule out military action if “separatist elements” or “external forces” cross red lines.
In the document, China slams the DPP for its view of independence. “The independence-seeking behavior of the DPP authorities has led to tensions across the Taiwan Strait, endangered the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, undermined the prospect of peaceful reunification, squeezed the space for peaceful reunification, and is a barrier for peaceful reunification that must be removed,” the document says.
China seeks a “one country, two systems” arrangement with Taiwan, that would grant the island autonomy, but it would accept that it is part of the People’s Republic of China.
The KMT is the party of Chiang Kai-shek, who the US backed against Mao Zedong during the Chinese Civil War. Chiang and the KMT fled to Taiwan in 1949, and the US recognized his government as the sole government of China until 1979, when Washington formally severed relations with Taipei to open up with Beijing.
You mean that in a democracy with separation of powers, one idiot can go where they want and talk to who they want regardless of the consequences to everyone else? Or perhaps it’s Taiwan’s ruling party that is idiotic for not immediately pursuing peaceful resolution with China when there is an opening for that. It’s never the right time.
That is the nice thing about ‘democracy’ NHMW, there are plenty of idiots to go around…
Door number 2.
The article is slightly misleading. Kuomintang established Taiwan separatist government, but they never believed in two China states. Kuomintang fought for the luberation of China from Japan, and fell out with Mao, lost to Mao forces and remained independent from Mao China.
Kuomintang believes in one China, and were ready for reunification after China opened up its economy.
Kuomintang has strong support in Taiwan,
Concern for business is well founded. Taiwan depends on Mainland for its economy, and it is important to insure that Chinese public sentiment does not turn against Taiwan businesses and students. A visit is therefore timely.
It is amazing that the lleader of the ruling “Demicratic and Liberal” party assumes that the whole Taiwan is behind her and her imaginary international community, that is, West. And presumes to lecture Taiwanese who do not feel the same.
Chinese military drills served its purpose. It encouraged its supporters. They know they will not be abandoned. And the secessionists must now consider the consequences. They have already finessed their position. The new twist is — no need to declare independence, they are de facto independent!
It will all boil down to economics. Taiwan will have to choose between being mucrichip supplier to China and growing BRIKS+ block. Or turn back in mainland trade and jobs opportunities, help US set up its own faundies, and lose market share in US/Europe. I am not sure exactly what is US offering, but it cannot be much. Taiwan will lose its economic value, and US will become competitor.
BRIC’s (Brazil, Russia, India and China) – of those only China (incl. Hongkong) accounts for a significant amount of exports (that however is very significant at about 41%) Russia is at 0.33%, India is at 0.76% and Brazil is at 0.44%, even if we add all the X-stan’s to that we still do not get above 45% so clearly not more than half.
The US and most of the west has outsourced microchip production (to a vert large degree) to Taiwan, it is also western companies operating in China that are the buyers of very many of those chips and thus responsible for a large share of the ostensibly Chinese imports.
So I’m not sure if there is a viable model for Taiwan in opting for trade with China at the cost of trade with the West, but then it is also going to be hard to claim that there is a non catastrophic model for doing the reverse – but then both China and the wider West would be in for very hard times if we were to suddenly cut trade.
“I am not sure exactly what is US offering, but it cannot be much.”
Well, https://williamblum.org/books/killing-hope is ALL the ever-so-glorious US has been offering since the end of the Second World War.
Amazingly enough, there are still takers.
Ukraine is one of the latest examples, although no other country has ever been as expertly manipulated into fighting a proxy war as Ukraine.
China is largest trading partner of Taiwan. Many Taiwanese companies manufacture in China, about 25% of Taiwanese import come from China. One country, two system as proposed by China, with some negotiated guarantees solves the conflict. It won’t change much things on the ground, except, remove possibility of war, and create better economic conditions for both countries. But, how can we have peace break-out anywhere, we need to sell more weapons to Taiwan. So we send Pelosi to cluelessly mess it all up.
Yes, like the Ukraine they are being sold out. The Beijing statement is disingenuous. What possible reason could Taiwan have for the massive arms build-up, except opting for Washington’s international rules based order.
Tsai is auditioning for Taiwan’s Zelensky … just as deluded but hopefully not as corrupt.
Aw yes, the good old KMT who were drug trafficking on behalf of the CIA and murdering political dissidents during the Cold War.
Don’t forget American Blue Bloods and European Barbarians who were drug dealing throughout China and finally driven out by Mao Zedong led armies.
Many of the western rich are so beyond normal people’s fortunes simply because they were drug dealers when it was legal to be a drug dealer using US troops to maintain sales territories.
The West tried to do to China exactly what it did to America’s first nations. Sadly, it is quite stupidly still trying.