President Tsai’s cross-strait policy is mistaken, Kaohsiung Mayor Han says
Nikkei Asian Review
Date: February 22, 2019
By: Lauly Li, Nikkei staff writer
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — The favorite to win Taiwan’s presidential election next year has hit out at
Han Kuo-yu, mayor of the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung, on Friday laid out his views on cross-strait relations. (photo by Lauly Li)
incumbent Tsai Ing-wen’s “wrong approach” on relations with China, saying that the island should enter peace talks with Beijing.
Kaohsiung City Mayor Han Kuo-yu, of the China-friendly opposition Kuomintang (KMT), told foreign journalists on Friday that it was “inevitable” for Taiwan to negotiate a peace treaty, while warning that time was running out.
“Taiwanese people have less and less time to avoid discussing a peace treaty [with Beijing],” said the mayor who came to office just two months ago. “Why? Because the dynamics of cross-strait relations are becoming more and more volatile.”
Han did not expand on what a treaty would entail and did not explicitly say whether signing a treaty with China implied that he would seek recognition of Taiwan’s diplomatic status. [FULL STORY]