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If elected on Saturday, the presidential candidate of Taiwan’s main opposition party will rule out the possibility of unification talks with China and signal that there is no possibility of a resolution to the cross-strait dispute even under a Taipei government that is more flexible toward Beijing. highlighted.
Hou Yong-hui, a former police chief and KMT candidate, said Thursday that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party bears some responsibility for the recent escalation of tensions with China, but he has no illusions about China’s intentions toward Taiwan.
“During my term in office, I will not touch on the unification issue. In cross-strait relations, we cannot rely on just one side,” Hou said, making it clear that he would prioritize strengthening Taiwan’s defense over resuming dialogue with China.
On Thursday, with less than 48 hours until voting began, the China Taiwan Affairs Office announced that it would not support current vice president and Democratic Progressive Party candidate Lai Ching-de, who refuses to define Taiwan as part of China. warned voters.
“We hope that the majority of Taiwanese compatriots recognize the extreme danger of the Democratic Progressive Party’s ‘Taiwan independence’ line and Lai Qingde’s extreme danger of provoking cross-Strait confrontation and conflict, and make the right choice on this issue. “This is a crossroads in cross-strait relations,” the secretariat said in a statement.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory, has threatened to annex it by force if Taipei resists unification indefinitely, and has frequently accused Lai, outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen and the Democratic Progressive Party of being separatists. However, this statement was the most direct warning to Mr. Yori. victory.
Analysts say the Chinese government does not view Taiwan’s mainstream political forces particularly favorably, but that the Chinese Communist Party has long-standing ties with the Kuomintang, a former rival in the Chinese civil war and now Taiwan’s largest opposition party. Stated.
Chinese authorities have pressured Taiwanese people in the past to vote for the Kuomintang, but while the Democratic Progressive Party considers Taiwan to be part of China, it disagrees with the Chinese Communist Party regarding the right to govern the Chinese state. Despite their differences, the Kuomintang has been pressuring voters to vote for the Kuomintang.
Mr. Hou’s refusal to negotiate unification was an issue he avoided early in the campaign, but Ma Ying-jeou, the KMT elder statesman who oversaw the thaw in relations with China during his tenure as president from 2008 to 2016, This followed controversial remarks that it would be difficult to try to defend Taiwan. Desperate.
“No matter how hard we protect ourselves, we will never be able to go to war with the mainland and we will never win,” Ma said in an interview with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle on Wednesday.
He added that Taiwan needed to trust Chinese leader Xi Jinping and argued that unification was acceptable under Taiwan’s constitution. In his televised New Year’s address, President Xi said that the “unification” of Taiwan and China was a “historical necessity.”
Mr Hou said on Thursday that some of Mr Ma’s views were “different” from his own, adding: “The current situation is quite different from when President Ma was in office… The relationship has completely changed.”
A senior Kuomintang politician said Mr. Ma’s comments were likely to have a negative impact on Mr. Hou’s campaign, as only a portion of Taiwanese people consider Taiwan becoming part of China.
“These words will rekindle the stereotype that our party is pro-China and will sell out the country to China, which Lai Qingde has already promoted,” the politician said.
Mr. Hou and his running mate, Joe Chaucon, emphasized increased defense spending and a determination to maintain close ties with the United States, which Mr. Hou calls an “ally.”
The two leaders welcomed US President Joe Biden’s administration’s plan to send an unofficial delegation to Taiwan immediately after the election, first reported by the Financial Times on Wednesday.