TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) urged President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Monday (April 21) to join a democracy summit co-organized by his party and the opposition Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨). Speaking at the Legislative Yuan, Huang emphasized that the president's attendance at the "Return Democracy to Taiwan" (把民主還給台灣) forum would "heal divisions" in Taiwanese society during a time of mounting economic and diplomatic challenges.
At Taiwan's parliament, Huang voiced growing anxiety over how Trump administration policies might affect Taiwan's economic and diplomatic standing. He accused President Lai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) of "deepening societal rifts" rather than building consensus. Huang revealed that his party had made numerous attempts to initiate cross-party dialogue about Taiwan's industrial challenges, but claimed these overtures had been consistently ignored by the presidential office.
"We are prepared to meet the president whenever and wherever he chooses," Huang declared, reaffirming his invitation to Lai. He promised complete transparency for the proposed summit, acknowledging KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫)'s role as co-organizer. According to Huang, such a public forum represents a critical opportunity to bridge Taiwan's political divide at a time when national unity has become increasingly urgent amid economic uncertainties and regional tensions.
When questioned about whether the summit might resurrect painful memories of the collapsed "Blue-White" alliance during the 2024 presidential election, Huang waved away such concerns. "Taiwan's interests must come first," he insisted, calling on his TPP (民眾黨) members to concentrate on addressing industrial challenges rather than dwelling on past political disappointments. The TPP chairman emphasized that economic pragmatism should supersede partisan rivalries in the current climate. ★
