Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

 

The Cross-Strait Peaceful Development Forum issued a statement opposing “Taiwan independence” and called for an effort to remove the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) from power on Saturday.

Experts from the forum urged that all sections of society in Taiwan to reflect on the negative impact caused by DPP’s flawed political agenda in its 30 years of ruling, and to prevent the DPP from causing more damage, possibly irreversible, to the Taiwan region, therefore, the 2024 Taiwan regional election should be viewed as a movement for the people to rescue themselves.
 
The DPP’s flawed agenda, coupled with their refusal to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus, has pushed the island of Taiwan into an unprecedented crisis, the statement said, as a result, the Taiwan Straits has been regarded as the most dangerous place in the world and likely to see a potential military conflict break out. 

The Cross-Strait Peaceful Development Forum, comprised of over 20 pro-reunification political parties and groups like the Labor Party, believes that in the face of the current severe cross-Straits relations, an economic hardship, and difficult living conditions, the significance of the 2024 regional elections is not merely about which party gains power, but also about to maintain cross-Straits peace, to pursue better welfare for people, and to influence the future of the Taiwan island.
 
The Forum statement stated that after the DPP’s second term in office, due to their stubborn refusal to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus, the whole of society has failed to maintain the status quo of cross-Straits exchange as the DPP previously claimed, instead, military tensions have constantly escalated in the Taiwan Straits instigated by Taiwan independence pursuit.

High housing prices, commodity prices, low wages, and long working hours have made life difficult for the people on the island, which has been deeply felt by the general public, leading to the DPP’s defeat in the nine-in-one local elections. It has also made it harder for the DPP’s “anti-mainland” strategy to continue, forcing Lai Ching-te, deputy leader of the island of Taiwan and a secessionist politician, to resort to “peace” as his election slogan, which is nothing more than election deception underestimating the wisdom of the people.

The deterioration of the island’s internal and external situation has been fundamentally caused by the DPP authorities’ stubborn adherence to the wrong Taiwan independence path. The DPP authorities’ one-sided reliance on the US in “seeking independence” has allowed US politicians like Nancy Pelosi to interfere in cross-Straits affairs by playing the “Taiwan card” and trying to “contain China” by ruining the island of Taiwan.”

The forum pointed out that Lai’s recent false claim that he would not declare “Taiwan independence” under the guise of the so-called “de facto independence” is still a deceptive claim. It shows that the Taiwan secessionist politicians have no choice but to live under the current system using political tricks. Moreover, the “Taiwan independence” secessionism promoted by pro-independence politicians for long violates the existing laws and regulations of both sides of the Taiwan Straits and constitutes a challenge to international legal principles, which may even lead to a war.

Therefore, the forum believes that the 2024 regional election will be a historic choice that will determine the future of the island’s social development. Opposition candidates should not only think about the election from the perspective of their own personal competition for power, but are necessary to face up to the mainstream public opinion that has been shown in recent polls to defeat the DPP authorities, reject “relying on the US for independence and rejecting reunification by force.” The people of Taiwan should work together to prevent the DPP authorities from continuing to govern, protect the island of Taiwan from the scourge of war, and let compatriots on both sides of the Straits to peacefully build the common home of the Chinese nation, the statement said.