DPP VP candidate addresses need to maintain cross-strait status quo
ROC Central News Agency
12/12/2023 10:07 PM
Taipei, Dec. 12 (CNA) Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice presidential candidate Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Tuesday that while maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait may not be the most satisfying position for everyone, it has garnered international consensus and strong domestic support.
Addressing a youth forum in Taipei, Hsiao emphasized that preserving the status quo is the broadest consensus embraced by all sides -- a position supported by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), when questioned about her stance on Taiwan independence.
Hsiao, Taiwan's former representative to Washington, was in November named the running mate of the DPP's presidential candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德), who in the past described himself as "pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence" but has more recently toned down such rhetoric.
China strongly opposes both Lai and Hsiao, labeling them "diehard separatists," and has sanctioned Hsiao twice.
Beijing criticized her appointment as a vice presidential candidate, denouncing it as "independence on top of independence."
Eighty percent of Taiwanese people prefer to maintain the status quo, Hsiao said at the Taipei event.
Maintaining the status quo may not be the most agreeable state for everyone but it is also not the stance of Beijing, she said.
"They want to turn us into another Hong Kong, which is unacceptable to us," she noted.
Nevertheless, Taiwan must collaborate with the international community to identify common ground acceptable to all, she added.
The candidate argued that only by doing so can Taiwan seek increased support from the international community, which is the current situation.
"The strength of international support for us is growing stronger," the former diplomat observed.
"As we can see in statements from U.S. President Joe Biden after summits with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts emphasizing that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is an indispensable component of global security and prosperity," she said.
The forum, mainly organized by the National Chengchi University Student Association, will see the main opposition Kuomintang's (KMT) vice president candidate Jaw Shau-kong (趙少康) and Taiwan People's Party's Wu Hsin-ying (吳欣盈) take questions from students, respectively, on Wednesday and Friday.
Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections will be held on Jan. 13, 2024, and 19.5 million voters are eligible to cast a ballot.
Currently, the Lai-Hsiao ticket hold a slim lead over the KMT's Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) and Jaw in the polls.
(By Chung Yu-chen)
Enditem/AW
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