TAIPEI, June 7 (Reuters)听–听It is wrong to label听罢补颈飞补苍‘s main听辞辫辫辞蝉颈迟颈辞苍听party the Kuomintang (KMT) as being听辫谤辞–颁丑颈苍补听as it has always been听辫谤辞–鲍.厂.听and is dedicated to defending the island though also to talking to Beijing, its chairman said in Washington.
The KMT ruled聽颁丑颈苍补听until fleeing to听罢补颈飞补苍聽in 1949 after losing a civil war to the Communists. It has traditionally favored close ties with Beijing, which has increasingly set it at odds with most听罢补颈飞补苍ese, who feel little in common with autocratic听颁丑颈苍补.
The KMT badly lost presidential and parliamentary elections in 2020, having failed to shake accusations from the governing Democratic听笔谤辞gressive Party it would sell out听罢补颈飞补苍聽to Beijing.
Speaking late Monday Taipei time at the Brookings Institution during a visit to Washington, KMT Chairman Eric Chu decried those who听肠补濒濒听them听辫谤辞–China.
“We are mislabeled by some people, some media听蝉补测蝉听we are a听辫谤辞–颁丑颈苍补听party – it’s totally wrong. We are a听辫谤辞–鲍.厂.听party, forever,” he said, speaking in English.
罢补颈飞补苍听needs to have strong defenses, added Chu, who assumed his current role in September on a听辫谤辞mise to revitalize party fortunes.
“If you want peace, you have to prepare for war. Self-defense is the number one for peace and stability.”
Chu, soundly defeated by current President Tsai Ing-wen when he ran for the presidency in 2016, is a possible candidate for the next presidential vote in 2024, though he has not announced an intention to run.
He reiterated the party’s support for engagement with听颁丑颈苍补, which claims听罢补颈飞补苍聽as its own territory, to ensure stability.
Beijing has ramped up its military activities near听罢补颈飞补苍聽over the past two years or so, and refused to speak to Tsai who it views as a separatist.
Tsai听蝉补测蝉听they want talks with Beijing, but as equals, and that only听罢补颈飞补苍‘s people can decide their own future.
Chu said听罢补颈飞补苍聽can help the West better understand听颁丑颈苍补, and be a model for its giant neighbor.
“罢补颈飞补苍听can have democracy, why not聽颁丑颈苍补听some day? We have to wait for this to happen, but we need听罢补颈飞补苍聽as a model.” – Reuters
