Tokyo, Aug. 2 (CNA) Taiwan’s participation in China-proposed “democratic negotiations” is currently “not feasible,” according to Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the presidential nominee of Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), in an interview with Asahi Shimbun.
The New Taipei mayor, just before wrapping up his three-day visit to Japan, was interviewed by reporters in Hibiya Park, Tokyo on Wednesday, after having breakfast with several members of Japan’s National Diet at Matsumotorō, including Keiji Furuya, chairman of the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council.
The prospect of war breaking out in the Taiwan Strait is the issue the Japanese lawmakers he met most cared about, Hou said.
Taiwan and China should start by de-escalating tensions, but any proposal the two sides engage in “democratic negotiations” is not feasible at present, he said.
According to Taiwanese media reports, the Chinese Communist Party has been inviting members of the more Chinese-friendly pan-blue political camp in Taiwan, who allegedly include a sitting lawmaker and a commissioner, to engage in the so-called “democratic negotiations” in China.
According to Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, the agenda of such talks included topics aimed at undermining Taiwan’s sovereignty, including Taiwan’s version of the “one country, two systems” framework and rhetoric designed to re-assert the so-called “1992 consensus.”
In an interview with NHK, which aired Tuesday night, Hou attributed frequent Chinese military activity in the Taiwan Strait to reduced contacts between the two sides which has eroded mutual trust.
“Maintaining the ‘status quo,’ a phrase that is commonly used in Taiwanese politics, does not mean maintaining the “status quo” of impending war, but the “status quo” under former President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) “no unification, no independence, and no use of military force,” which underpinned stability in the Taiwan Strait, Hou said.
As a presidential candidate, Hou said he wanted to tell friends in Japan that his first responsibility is to avoid war and pursue peace on condition that the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name) remains free and democratic, building up Taiwan’s defense capabilities and resuming dialogue with China to prevent war.
“Only when there is stability in the Taiwan Strait and security for Taiwan can Japan have peace of mind,” he said.
Aug. 1: KMT’s Hou Yu-ih meets with senior official in Japan’s ruling party
While in Japan, the KMT presidential nominee met with 36 Japanese lawmakers, including Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Vice President Taro Aso and Kōichi Hagiuda, also of the LDP, who is widely viewed as a possible future prime minister of Japan.
Hou’s campaign office issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying he had pushed back the date for announcing his energy policy to Aug. 9, due to coming down with a cold and successive typhoons hitting Taiwan over the past two weeks.
Hou is expected to propose a new energy policy for the country, retaining nuclear power as a viable option if there are safeguards in place.
Aug. 2: Vice president to stop in New York, San Francisco on Paraguay trip
July 2: KMT presidential candidate Hou files libel complaint against VP Lai
June 12: U.S. backs Taiwan presidential hopefuls in seeking dialogue with China: Envoy
June 9: Ko discusses his cross-strait stance with international media outlets in Tokyo
June 3: Lai urges voters to vote against China; Hou calls for cross-strait peace
April 28: Ko returns from U.S., set to begin presidential bid Saturday
April 22: Visit aimed at cementing ties with, learning from Singapore: Hou