KMT chair urges Lai to reach across aisle to break political impasse

Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) The head of Taiwan's main opposition party urged President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Wednesday to promote cross-party cooperation to break the political impasse created by ongoing partisan confrontation in the country's lawmaking body.

Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) urged Lai to act as the country's president rather than as the "Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) chairman only" with a mindset focused on "fighting against the KMT, opposition parties and Taiwan's people."

The KMT will be open to cooperation as soon as Lai is willing to resume his post as the country's president and push for unity across the political divide, he said during a KMT-organized New Year's Day flag raising ceremony outside of the KMT's headquarters in Taipei.

Taiwan's future success lies in cordial relations and cooperation between the central and local governments and different political parties, Chu said.

During his address at the flag-raising ceremony, Chu also reiterated the KMT's stance that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are part of a collective ethnic Chinese group and share the same Chinese culture.

The only difference between the two sides is in their respective political systems, Chu said, referring to the People's Republic of China (PRC) government in Beijing and the Republic of China government in Taipei.

"Only by seeking common ground while respecting differences can the two sides of the Taiwan Strait maintain peace," he said.

Meanwhile, during a question-and-answer session following his New Year address in the Presidential Office, President Lai was questioned about his willingness to push for cross-party negotiations amid partisan wrangling in the Legislative Yuan.

He was specifically asked if he would consider convening a round of cross-party talks featuring leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties to end the impasse of recent months.

In response, Lai said it was part of his job as the country's president to resolve partisan differences and push for a unified country for the benefit of Taiwan's social stability and economic development.

One example of promoting unity was the fact that he invited Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), a senior member of the KMT, to lead Taiwan's official delegation to attend United States President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration later this month, Lai said.

Before Han embarks on his trip to Washington D.C., Lai said he planned to invite Han and representatives across party lines in the delegation "for coffee" to discuss major issues and Taiwan's future development to facilitate closer cooperation.

He also called for unity within the country despite political differences, citing the importance of doing so as Taiwan is facing a serious threat from the outside, apparently referring to the PRC.

In response, Han thanked Lai Wednesday for the invitation to talk, adding that it is crucial that mutual trust across political lines can be restored to enhance smooth cooperation between the country's executive and legislative branches.

Lai's ruling DPP and Chu's KMT and the smaller opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP) have been engaged in heated verbal and physical confrontations over the past months in the Legislative Yuan.

To date, TPP lawmakers have sided with the KMT on legislation to push through bills that the DPP has opposed, including three amendments passed in late December.

The amendments, which triggered scuffles in the Legislature, covered new measures that tighten recall petition requirements, curb the Constitutional Court's ability to rule on cases, and change central government revenue allocations.

In response, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said the Cabinet would take action to counter them as the three packages are "difficult to implement."

On Wednesday, the TPP criticized Lai's New Year's address, saying that while the president mentioned "democracy" 26 times in his speech, he has used tactics such as obstruction, deception, and intimidation to block opposition efforts to push forward progressive bills over the past year.

"It highlights how the ruling administration manipulates democracy to consolidate power, making the New Year's speech both disappointing and regrettable," the TPP said in a statement.