Although the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) seeks peace, it would not give up Taiwan’s right to self-defense and would fight back if China attacked it despite the nation not formally declaring independence, KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said.
Cheng made the comment during an interview with The Economist on Wednesday, which was released by the KMT’s Culture and Communications Committee yesterday.
Taiwan should not become a bargaining chip in a great-power competition, she said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Instead, the nation should deepen cooperation with the US and the international community while reducing the risk of conflict through dialogue to help maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region, she added.
The KMT opposes a formal declaration of Taiwanese independence, Cheng said, adding that it is a position that aligns with that of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
However, if Taiwan refrained from making such a declaration and China still chose to invade by force, “we will fight back,” she said.
The KMT could soon propose legislation to support Taiwan’s domestic drone manufacturing program and other measures to bolster the nation’s defense industry, Cheng said, but added that the bill was unlikely to pass the legislature before Xi’s planned visit to the US in September.
The remarks drew criticism from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers, with Legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) saying Taiwan’s defense self-reliance is not a concession from Xi, nor should the nation hinge decisions to defend itself on shifts in US-China relations.
DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) questioned why major bills aimed at bolstering Taiwan’s domestic defense must repeatedly take cues from Xi’s position, and said it suggested that the KMT is reluctant to anger Beijing.
Additional reporting by Hsu Yung-ching