Former chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang party Hung Hsiu-chu on Monday hailed the think-tank forum jointly hosted by the Communist Party of China and the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party on Tuesday in Beijing as a positive step toward restoring long-suspended cross-Strait dialogue.
Representatives from the CPC and the KMT, along with figures from tourism, industrial, sci-tech, medical and environmental protection sectors across the Taiwan Strait, as well as experts and scholars, attended the forum.
Speaking in an exclusive interview ahead of the forum, Hung said the forum marks an important opportunity for dialogue after a nine-year interruption in exchanges between the two parties.
Noting the lack of communication and mutual understanding has increased the risk of conflicts and disputes, she emphasized that restarting exchanges at the think tank level represents a constructive beginning.
"This time, we are very pleased to see that there is an opportunity for dialogue between the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party and the Communist Party of China (CPC), and between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. In fact, this exchange mechanism has been interrupted for nine years. The less you communicate, the less you engage in dialogue, and the less you understand each other, the more likely various conflicts and problems will occur. Restarting this mechanism and beginning again with exchanges at the think tank level, in my view, is a very good start," she said.
Hung repeatedly described the forum as an effort to "break the ice."
She criticized Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities for obstructing cross-Strait exchanges in pursuit of separatist objectives, saying such actions have created a chilling effect in Taiwan society.
Hung also accused the DPP authorities of prioritizing relations with the United States and Japan at the expense of Taiwan people's interests, warning that these moves have already triggered irreversible harm to Taiwan's development.
"Where do you, the DPP, want to take Taiwan? The mainland is clearly of the same culture, the same ethnicity, the same language, and the same ancestral roots as us. We are all of the same family, and there are so many things that can be shared and developed through mutual benefit and integration. If the DPP continues down this path, the Taiwan region will truly face a situation of imminent military danger. Isn't this self-destruction? If you want to destroy yourselves, that is one thing, but you are tying the 23 million people in Taiwan together and dragging them toward destruction as well. Over time, the people will see this clearly. We say that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same family. With exchanges and integrated development, cross-Strait relations can become better and better," she added.
Former KMT chairwoman hails think-tank forum as positive step towards restoring cross-Strait dialogue
Former KMT chairwoman hails think-tank forum as positive step towards restoring cross-Strait dialogue
