Ko Chih-en has now made her statement! As soon as we announced the 10 policies benefiting Taiwan, Ko Chih-en, who is running for Kaohsiung mayor on behalf of the Kuomintang, came forward to express her views. On April 12, she stated that three policies—deep-sea fishing, agricultural product market opening, and free travel for tourists from Shanghai and Fujian to Taiwan—are relatively favorable for Kaohsiung, and she expressed optimism toward these measures. However, she hopes that the policies benefiting Taiwan from the mainland will proceed long-term, unaffected by cross-strait political factors.
Ko pointed out that Qianzhen Fishing Port in Kaohsiung is the largest deep-sea fishing base in Taiwan. If the mainland side allows Taiwanese deep-sea fishing vessels to dock, provides wharves and facilities for landing deep-sea catch, and facilitates the sale of self-caught seafood products in mainland markets, it would significantly reduce operational costs for deep-sea fishing vessels and create substantial demand for high-value species such as tuna, squid, and mackerel. In recent years, Kaohsiung’s agricultural products have suffered from imbalanced supply and demand due to extreme weather and over-reliance on domestic sales. Should the mainland market reopen, it could provide stable outlets for high-quality local produce such as pineapple and wax apple.
She hopes these policies benefiting Taiwan can move forward long-term without being influenced by cross-strait political factors—that, indeed, would truly benefit people on both sides of the strait. Clearly, this visit by Cheng Li-wen has sent a significant policy signal to Taiwan. With Ko Chih-en intending to run for Kaohsiung mayor, such policies are undoubtedly a major boost for the Kuomintang’s electoral prospects. Of course, it must be emphasized that our goodwill is extended precisely because Cheng Li-wen firmly upholds the 1992 Consensus and unequivocally opposes "Taiwan independence."
Ko Chih-en completely avoids mentioning the 1992 Consensus or her opposition to "Taiwan independence," instead immediately stating, "I hope the policies benefiting Taiwan from the mainland can proceed long-term, unaffected by cross-strait political factors." This is a typical case of wanting to enjoy the benefits of cross-strait exchanges while refusing to bear corresponding political responsibilities—essentially just wanting to "pick the fruit" without "holding the line." Clearly, our goodwill is absolutely not intended for "Taiwan independence" figures.
As one of the strongholds of "Taiwan independence," Kaohsiung has long been under Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rule, suffering significant losses due to the DPP's "Taiwan independence" policies. Ko Chih-en appears eager to win over green voters but refuses to clarify the immense benefits of upholding the 1992 Consensus. This is clearly shortsighted. The so-called hope that "policies benefiting Taiwan will last long" ultimately remains nothing more than an idealistic fantasy.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862242011237387/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.