KMT echoing Beijing narrative could affect global support for Taiwan: MAC

Taipei, April 10 (CNA) Remarks by Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) echoing Beijing's cross-strait narrative could affect international support for Taiwan, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) warned Friday.

Cheng's framing of cross-strait ties as an internal Chinese matter and her calls to reject foreign intervention during the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) could shape how the international community responds to Taiwan, including arms sales and other forms of support, MAC officials said.

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"If the Taiwan issue is portrayed as China's internal affair, it raises concerns over how the international community could step in when Taiwan faces difficulties," Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑), MAC deputy head and spokesperson, said at a press conference in Taipei.

In a statement issued Friday, MAC said that the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) share a political foundation that ultimately seeks to eliminate the Republic of China, reiterating its rejection of the "1992 consensus" as defined by Beijing -- namely "one China" and "one country, two systems."

The "1992 consensus" refers to a tacit understanding reached in 1992 between Taiwan's then KMT government and the Chinese government, under which both sides acknowledge there is "one China," while differing on its definition.

The KMT has upheld the framework, while the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rejects it, arguing Beijing leaves no room for interpreting "China" as the Republic of China.

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MAC also criticized Cheng's proposal to institutionalize cross-strait relations under a "peace framework," saying such a framework was essentially a "unification framework" aligned with Beijing's long-standing policy toward Taiwan.

Liang further questioned the reliability of Cheng's account of her meeting with Xi, saying that her claims -- including that Xi had responded positively to her proposals -- could not be independently verified.

"Since we cannot confirm whether her recounting is accurate, we cannot comment on those remarks," Liang said.

Asked to comment on Cheng's suggestion that closer ties with Beijing could help expand Taiwan's international space, Liang pointed to past experiences in which Taiwan's participation in international forums depended on Beijing's political stance and could be revoked at any time.

Despite reports from China's state-run Xinhua News Agency that Xi welcomed Taiwanese agricultural and fishery products and other goods, Liang cautioned Taiwanese businesses and farmers against becoming overly reliant on the Chinese market, warning about what he described as a pattern of luring in producers with incentives before cutting them off.

"Such policies can be turned on and off at any time, leaving our farmers to bear the consequences," Liang said.

MAC reiterated that only Taiwan's 23 million people have the right to decide the country's future and stressed that party-to-party exchanges cannot replace official government-to-government mechanisms.

The government will closely monitor further interactions between the KMT and Beijing and take necessary action if any cooperation is found to contravene existing laws or undermine Taiwan's sovereignty, MAC said.