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Taiwan’s main opposition party has elected a firebrand leader leaning toward Beijing who promises to “unify” not just the Kuomintang (KMT), but “all of Taiwan.” Amidst the threat of a full-scale invasion by China,
cheng li-wunHe, who has led Taiwan’s main opposition political party, the KMT, since Nov. 1 after being elected last week has adopted a conciliatory tone toward China and pledged to maintain peace with the giant neighbor.
China Overlooks the democratically ruled island of Taiwan as your area,
“The end of elections is the beginning of unity,” Ms Cheng said in her victory speech. “We will unify not just the KMT, but all of Taiwan,” he said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping message to Taiwan was its new ally across the strait Different in tone from what Beijing usually reserves For Taiwan’s democratic President Lai Ching-te, whom he calls a separatist.
Mr Xi said the Communist Party in the mainland China and the KMT in Taiwan share a “common political foundation” of opposing Taiwan independence and supporting the “1992 Consensus”. The “1992 consensus” refers to the agreement reached that year that both sides are part of “one China”, a cherished principle in Beijing.
Mr Xi said the two sides should “unite the majority of Taiwan’s people to deepen exchanges and cooperation, promote common development and pursue national reunification”. Taiwan’s government strongly objects For China’s sovereignty claims.
While the KMT lost the presidential election last year, the party and its ally, the smaller Taiwan People’s Party, together hold the most seats in parliament, creating a headache for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party trying to pass the budget and its legislation. The KMT traditionally supports close ties with China, and speaking at the party headquarters in Taipei, Ms. Cheng said that under her leadership the KMT would be “a builder of regional peace.”
American intelligence and military leaders Testified that the Chinese President has instructed the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to be prepared to “invade or coerce” Taiwan by 2027, the centenary of the military’s founding. China considers its smaller neighbor Taiwan its sovereign territory, calls it a separate province, and has not ruled out reuniting the self-ruled island with the mainland by force.
Ms Cheng, 55, will take over at a time when Taiwan is aggressively building up its military strength and defense spending to fight off a potential Chinese invasion. During the election campaign she said that she wanted “all Taiwanese people to be able to proudly and confidently say, “I am Chinese”.
Ms Cheng’s election to the key role is in line with Beijing’s wishes as she has opposed increased defense spending and vowed to ensure peace.
“KMT will make our home the strongest shelter for everyone against the storms of life. Because we will safeguard peace throughout the world Taiwan Strait,” He said.
He also wrote to the Chinese president and said that Taiwan and China, countries located on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, were “members of the Chinese nation”, using an expression in the Chinese language that refers to ethnicity rather than nationality.
He did not mention anything about the reunification of Taiwan with China.
Ms Cheng got her start in politics from its now rival party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and last week defeated establishment member and former Taipei mayor Hou Lung-bin with just over 50 percent of the vote.
During her high-voltage campaign, Ms. Cheng refused to support Taiwan’s increased defense budget, shying away from the current administration’s most important goal. Taiwan’s defense spending is directly proportional to the threats it faces from China’s military and is also strongly supported by the US, which is helping the island nation with Abrams tanks.
Currently holding the opposition seat, Ms Cheng has made it clear that she intends to fight President Lai for his seat as well.
“We will remain united and we are committed to winning the elections in 2026 and 2028,” he said, referring to Taiwan’s next local and leadership elections.