South China Morning Post
Date: 14 May, 2019
By: Lawrence Chung
- Former New Taipei mayor takes Ma Ying-jeou era as blueprint for ties with Beijing
- Analysts say Chu’s hopes for Xi Jinping summit send an ‘amicable message’
Former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu Li-luan, now seeking the KMT candidacy for a run at the Taiwanese presidency next year, is keen to rekindle the friendship Ma Ying-jeou enjoyed with Beijing a decade ago. Photo: CNA
Taiwanese presidential hopeful Eric Chu Li-luan says he will hold a summit with President Xi Jinping on the island of Quemoy and seek a cross-strait peace accord if he becomes the island’s leader next year.
Introducing his platform for a Kuomintang (KMT) presidency, Chu – the former mayor of New Taipei – said he would seek mutual respect with Beijing instead of the confrontational approach used by incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party.
With 40 per cent of Taiwan’s total exports going to the mainland, Chu said there was a need for Taipei to take steps towards good relations with Beijing.
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