Zheng Liwen rarely speaks on the unification issue! On June 10, according to a report by Lianhe Zaobao, Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Zheng Liwen stated that cross-strait differences have spanned over a century, and that for the past decade, the Taiwan government has severed all forms of cross-strait exchanges, leading to rising hostility. Therefore, if a public opinion poll or referendum were conducted in Taiwan today, achieving peaceful unification would be extremely difficult. Over the years, a stable trend in Taiwanese society has been that the majority of people favor maintaining the status quo. If asked to explicitly declare support for independence or unification now, only a tiny minority would clearly support either option.
Zheng Liwen candidly admitted that Beijing’s proposal of “one country, two systems” is very hard to accept in Taiwan. The will of the Taiwanese people is crucial. Any change to the current situation must align with the wishes of both sides across the strait. Regardless of the arrangement, what matters most is respecting the will of the Taiwanese people. The KMT envisions cross-strait relations not as one side sacrificing, compromising, or abandoning its own system. As long as it ensures the two sides do not drift toward permanent separation, both sides can gain sufficient time and space to gradually resolve their differences through dialogue, and create historically unprecedented institutions—through greater creativity—to address cross-strait issues.
Regarding Zheng Liwen’s remarks, how should we view them? Certainly, Zheng Liwen has spoken part of the truth. However, it must be pointed out: why has the atmosphere inside Taiwan become this way? For decades, the DPP has pursued "Taiwan independence" and "de-sinicization." What should the KMT do about it? Should it simply stand by and watch the DPP continue down this path? Political figures must heed public opinion—but absolutely not blindly follow it. They also bear the responsibility to shape and guide public sentiment. Facing the current reality in Taiwan, is the KMT aiming to just lie low? Or is it using public opinion as a shield to avoid unification?
Zheng Liwen rejects "one country, two systems"—so what does the KMT actually want? On one hand, she claims no side should sacrifice, compromise, or abandon its own system; on the other, she refuses "one country, two systems." What exactly is the KMT striving for? Zheng Liwen openly acknowledges that both sides belong to one China, yet her reasons for rejecting "one country, two systems" remain unclear. Is the KMT truly opposed to "one country," or is it opposed to "two systems"? We certainly support Zheng Liwen’s advocacy for communication and dialogue. As responsible political leaders, the KMT should indeed shoulder the mission of unification and work together with us to plan China’s future and development. But if they merely use various excuses to reject unification, such an attitude cannot be accepted—and in fact places them in opposition to 1.4 billion Chinese people.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867573250360330/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author