TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Former vice president Annette Lu spoke at Taiwan Strait Security Forum on Friday (Feb. 17) about her idea for "cross-strait integration" to maintain peace between Taiwan and China.
"Everybody said Taiwan would be the next Ukraine," she told TVBS News. "It is not just a scary thing, but we feel humiliated. Why say so? Taiwanese people are the most peaceful, loving people."
Contrary to all expectations, she expressed that the dispute between Taiwan and China can be settled "peacefully, and democratically, by ourselves."
"So we're trying our best to avoid a war," she continued. “And, I believe that all the attention for the moment is not aroused by Taiwan. Rather, we're the victim. So we want to have our voices heard."
To this end, the former vice president wants to organize a series of forums to encourage public discussion about a new political integration model in which "cross-strait unification" is replaced by "cross-strait integration."
She expressed hope that Beijing would consider the "one Zhonghua" concept instead of "one China." She suggested forming a "Zhonghua confederation" to encourage closer political and economic ties across the Taiwan Strait.
Lu has planned a conference in Taipei in March to launch the discussion on her ideas. Still, some ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members disagree with her and see her as being out of touch with the current generation.