Chu signals adherence to 1992 Consensus
- By Zhu Songling
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E-mail China Daily, May 4, 2015
The opposition Democratic Progressive Party claims that the KMT's defeat in the elections last year was because of its mainland policy. However, it not yet found a proper alternative of the Consensus, which it refuses to adopt. Should Tsai Ing-wen, the DPP's chair, win the island's 2016 leadership election, it will deal a deadly blow the political basis of the cross-Straits development at a price that Taiwan cannot afford to pay.
Chu's adherence to the Consensus, on the other hand, may help his party to gain more support in the upcoming election.
Over the last seven years, the KMT has taken advantage of the business opportunities offered by the other side of the Straits, in a bid to boost the local economy. Given the various difficulties that the island has to deal with, Chu should be able to reacquire public support especially from small business owners by promoting such things as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank the mainland's new FTZs.
The mainland has welcomed Taiwan joining in the Beijing-initiated AIIB under a proper name, as well as cooperation with the newly approved Free Trade zones in the mainland’s Guangdong and Fujian provinces.
These reflect Taiwan's real position in the aforementioned regional economy boosters, and indicate that the KMT gives priority to the well-being of local people and related industries.
Such being said, Chu's mainland visit will surely boost the morale of his party and his own image, if local media outlets report about it responsibly. Of course, that requires him to make timely announcements of what has been achieved in his meeting Xi.
The author is a professor with the Institute of Taiwan Studies, Beijing Union University.
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