On the 13th of November, Former U.S. Navy Admiral John Aquilino led a visiting group from the Center for a New American Security’s Next Generation Program to meet with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The meeting was attended by the TPP’s Secretary General Vincent Chou, Legislator Huang Shan-shan, along with the TPP’s Foreign Affairs, Youth Department, and Policy Department. The meeting lasted an hour, and the two sides engaged in fruitful discussion relating to topics ranging from political and economic developments, and regional security. 

Secretary General Chou, congratulated Admiral Aquilino on the recently concluded US Presidential election, saying that once again, the world has witnessed the US’s example of democracy, peacefully and smoothly completing all election procedures. He continued “This group of brilliant scholars consist of the up and coming talent from official and civil society as well as the fields of National Security and Diplomacy. As a great power, every policy in the U.S. has the potential to affect the entire world. Located in the first island chain, Taiwan is crucial to the U.S. national interest. We believe that only through strengthening international connections, especially enhancing the comprehensive US-Taiwan relationship, can both sides benefit. 

Secretary General Chou said “The Taiwan People’s Party has continued to maintain a culture of ‘compete when we need to compete, and cooperate when we need to cooperate.’ We hope that all political parties and public officials can participate in foreign relations under the banner of the Republic of China (Taiwan), form new friendships abroad and obtain maximum international support. While abroad, we have heard some people spreading the rumor that the Taiwan People’s Party wishes to block Taiwan’s National Defense budget, in effect paralyzing Taiwan’s national defense.” Secretary General Chou used this opportunity to clarify that the TPP fully understands that peace comes at a price, because of this, Taiwan and the TPP will continue to strengthen national defense and not rely solely on the goodwill of others to maintain peace.

When asked about cross-Strait relations, Legislator Huang Shan-shan responded that the TPP’s position is Taiwan sovereignty and cross-Strait peace. The TPP seeks to have our own national defense capability to defend sovereignty, but also wishes to maintain channels of communication between the two sides. While Ko Wen-je was the mayor of Taipei, he proposed Five Mutuals to encourage cooperation and curtail misunderstandings. Taiwan and China have numerous trade and economic ties, however, there is still geopolitical and military tension. Not only strengthening defense capabilities, but also establishing communication channels. This position is different from the DPP and KMT in two major ways, the DPP wishes to cut off all interactions between the two sides, while the KMT is too soft on China. 

Regarding TPP’s role in the legislative Yuan, Legislator Huang explained, this is the first time in over 20 years that no party has received a majority in the Taiwanese legislature, the TPP’s eight seats have now become the critical minority. Legislator Huang continued saying, in regards to national issues, the TPP’s primary consideration is the interest of the nation and the people. In principle, the TTP’s position in the legislative Yuan is similar to Secretary Blinken’s description of the US-China relationship  —  competitive when it should be, collaborative when it can be, and adversarial when it must be. The TPP will examine each bill’s content and then decide which party to work with, however, if the KMT and DPP reach a consensus on an issue, the TPP will no longer play a decisive role. 

Another delegate asked how the TPP enjoys such high support from Taiwan’s youth, Secretary General Chou explained, the TPP’s support among young people is higher than both the DPP and the KMT mainly due to Ko’s efforts to resolve issues that the youths of Taiwan care about such as housing justice and raising families. As the mayor of Taipei, Ko built more social housing in Taipei than any other cities in Taiwan, in addition to promoting numerous policies aimed at helping young couples raise a family. 

Secretary General Chou also wanted to correct some of the misconceptions about the TPP. He said that many people will attack the TPP, saying that it is in league with the Chinese Communist Party. Chou emphasized that this is not the case and that Ko and the TPP were some of the first in Taiwan to call for the defense of all people. In addition, we have requested the central government treat the establishment of air raid shelters as a national defense priority. 

Secretary General Chou continued to explain that under the situation of no party holding a majority in the Legislative Yuan, many people have called the TPP “baby blue”, truth is, the TPP seeks to implement many of the policies that the DPP sought to implement when they were in the opposition. Legislator Huang Shan-han also explained that in this year’s election, the DPP only received around 40% of the vote, which is why the DPP wants to equate the TPP with the KMT and equate the KMT with the CCP. Legislator Huang Shan-shan believes that the DPP is trying to divide Taiwan into two groups, those who will resist China and protect Taiwan and those who do not love taiwan. In reality, 60% of the Taiwan People do not condone this attempt of diving Taiwan. 

During the meeting, officials on both sides engaged in vigorous discussion. After the meeting, Secretary General Chou gifted a Fifth Anniversary beer set as a gift to the Admiral, celebrating the lasting friendship between the U.S and Taiwan.