TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said on Saturday that KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun's (鄭麗文) remarks following her meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on cross-strait relations had gone too far.
Cheng met with Xi on Friday at the East Hall of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, per CNA. During the talks, she referred to the “1992 Consensus” and opposition to Taiwan independence as the “common political foundation” between the KMT and CCP, adding the Taiwan Strait should "never be a chessboard for interference by external forces."
Cho said the public closely watched the meeting. He said that although the KMT and CCP have nearly a century of political rivalry, the KMT appeared to lack confidence in Friday's meeting, something he believes warrants reflection.
The premier said Cheng's proposal to establish a cross-strait peace mechanism should be examined in light of history. Past KMT–CCP negotiations, as well as the cases of Tibet and Hong Kong, have proven that peace without strength fails and emboldens aggressors, so only “peace backed by strength” can build national power.
He said Cheng's remarks echoed Beijing's official rhetoric about the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” and risked turning Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait into tools for the CCP's internal agenda, calling her comments a mistake.
Cho added that Taiwan should belong to the world, and the Taiwan Strait should remain an international waterway for free navigation. He said it is wrong to talk about excluding “external forces,” saying such framing effectively aligns with Beijing’s position.
He noted Cheng’s rhetoric affects the country’s sovereignty and future. He said such remarks are neither beneficial to her nor the country.
