Taiwan politics: Pro-independence presidential hopeful Tsai observes National Day, calls for unity

Taiwan politics: Pro-independence presidential hopeful Tsai observes National Day, calls for unity

TAIPEI — Taiwan’s pro-independence presidential candidate, Tsai Ing-wen, sought to highlight her moderate political stance Saturday by attending National Day celebrations and singing the island’s anthem.

       Tsai, chairwoman of main opposition Democratic Progressive Party, greeted senior officials of the ruling Nationalist Party warmly during the ceremony, pledging to forge unity among people and parties across the political spectrum.

     “I hope that our country will begin to unite, and everyone can come together to safeguard Taiwan’s most precious democracy and freedom,” she said before the ceremony began. Tsai is widely considered the runaway favorite to win in the presidential election in January.

     Video footage showed Tsai singing the anthem, although she skipped two words that refer to the Nationalist Party.

Whose republic?

DPP officials have often been attacked in the past for not observing National Day for the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name, though former DPP President Chen Shui-bian did hold and attend National Day ceremonies. 

Many pro-independence members of the party dismiss shows of loyalty to the republic, first established in 1912 on mainland China, as part of the Nationalists’ efforts to strengthen Taiwan’s connections with its communist neighbor.

     The highly contentious issue of whether and how to maintain Taiwan’s de facto independence and separate political identity has been central to previous presidential campaigns on the island. Tsai lost her previous presidential bid to the current incumbent, the Nationalists’ Ma Ying-jeou, in 2012 over doubts that she would be able to maintain amicable relations with China and peace across the Taiwan Strait.

     But public opinion has shifted during Ma’s second term. Most Taiwanese voters appear to regard his efforts to pursue closer economic ties with China as having damaged the livelihoods of ordinary people. The Nationalist Party has been in turmoil since it was routed in key mayoral elections last November. It is now poised to replace its unpopular pro-unification candidate, Hung Hsiu-chu, with party Chairman Eric Chu, just three months before the presidential vote.

     Amid the party’s internal chaos, Ma on Saturday again defended his record, saying the global community has endorsed his efforts to foster peaceful relations with Beijing. That approval, he said, “proves that our government has not sold Taiwan to China or undermined Taiwan’s sovereignty, but maintaining the status quo has become what most people want.” 

     Ma called on the next president to recognize the “1992 consensus,” a principle he said allows Taiwan and China to disagree on their political relations. Beijing, for its part, claims the consensus reflects the fact that Taiwan is a part of its territory.

Taiwan politics: Pro-independence presidential hopeful Tsai observes National Day, calls for unity