KMT chair candidates willing to meet with Chinese leader for peace

Taipei, Oct. 11 (CNA) Candidates for the chairmanship of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) on Saturday said if elected, they would be willing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to push for cross-strait peace.

In a televised debate ahead of the KMT chair election next week, former two-term Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) noted that he visited China in his capacity as mayor, telling Chinese officials that they had to recognize the existence of the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan's official name.

However, China has been unfriendly to Taiwan, constantly holding military exercises around the island and sending fighter jets to harass and threaten Taiwanese people, he pointed out.

"I hope China will extend an olive branch to Taiwan," Hau said. "Under such a circumstance, I would be willing to meet with the Chinese leader on an equal basis and with dignity, if elected, to boost exchanges across the Taiwan Strait."

"I will not flatter China but treat it equally," Hau said.

Former KMT Legislator Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), one of the other five candidates, said trying to make peace between the KMT and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the mandate of her party, so she would be happy to meet with the Chinese leader if elected.

"The KMT has to secure a consensus among the people of Taiwan on how to make peace with China," Cheng said. "As the KMT governs more than half of the counties and cities in Taiwan the party should try its best to forge majority opinion in Taiwan when it comes to ideas on how to deal with China."

For his part, KMT Legislator Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), another candidate, said he will push for resumption of dialogue with China based on the 1992 consensus -- defined by the KMT as "one China, with each side having its own interpretation of what 'China' means" -- hoping to meet Xi to discuss how Taiwan and China respect each other under the principle of equality and mutual benefits.

"If elected, I will lead Taiwanese youth representatives to China within three months to conduct two ice-breaking visits, while urging the two sides to exchange students," Lo said. "The efforts to facilitate exchanges are the way to ensure Taiwan's existence as I do not want to see Taiwan become the next Ukraine."

Also in the debate, former National Taiwan University political science professor Chang Ya-chung (張亞中) said the KMT and CCP should talk with each other to seek solutions for cross-strait peace.

"If the KMT wins the 2028 election to become the ruling party again, such solutions could serve as a basis for Taiwan and China to sign a peace agreement," Chang said.

The four candidates elaborated on their willingness to meet with Xi if elected the KMT chair when questioned by another candidate Tsai Chih-hung (蔡志弘), who served in the now-disbanded National Assembly in 1996.

Former Changhua County Magistrate Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) did not attend the debate, which was organized by CtiTV.

The KMT has scheduled a party-wide vote to elect a new chairperson on Oct. 18, with the winner taking office on Nov. 1 for a four-year term, succeeding Eric Chu (朱立倫).