During her visit to the US, Taiwan KMT Chairperson Cheng Li-wen said that it would be very difficult for Taiwan to pass a peaceful unification referendum. On Wednesday, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Chang Tun-han stated that the cross-strait policy from former President Tsai Ing-wen to current President Lai Ching-te has been clear: "maintain the status quo with neither arrogance nor humility." He added that this is also the expectation and consensus of the majority of the Taiwanese people, and they will always adhere to it.
While attending a symposium hosted by the Asia Society during her visit to the US, Cheng Li-wen commented that cross-strait differences have persisted for over a century. If a referendum was held at this moment, it would be very difficult for Taiwan to pass peaceful unification, but most Taiwanese people support dialogue and exchanges across the strait.
Cheng Li-wen also frankly admitted that Beijing's proposed “one country, two systems” is extremely difficult to accept in Taiwan. “No one can hand Taiwan back to China,” she said, emphasizing that the will of the Taiwanese people is paramount. Future changes to the status quo must comply with the wishes of people on both sides of the strait, and regardless of any arrangement, the most important thing is that the will of the Taiwanese people must be respected.
Before attending a Legislative Yuan Internal Affairs Committee session to take questions today, Chang Tun-han was asked by the media about this issue. He noted that Cheng Li-wen had visited the Kennedy Library in Boston, and he wanted to quote former US President Kennedy to offer her a suggestion: “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger.” He believes this is the expectation of every Taiwanese and the joint responsibility of both the ruling and opposition parties.