China – Taiwan – Kuomintang

Refugee Review Tribunal AUSTRALIA

RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE

Research Response Number: CHN35224 Country: China Date: 23 July 2009

Keywords: China – Taiwan – Kuomintang

This response was prepared by the Research & Information Services Section of the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RRT within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. This research response may not, under any circumstance, be cited in a decision or any other document. Anyone wishing to use this information may only cite the primary source material contained herein.

Questions

1. Please provide some websites which contain background information about the Kuomintang – history, policies, ideology, emblem, past leaders, their newspaper and information about the ‘Three principles of the people’.

RESPONSE

Country information indicates that the Kuomintang (KMT), also known as the Nationalist Party or Chung-kuo Kuo-min Tang, was founded in 1912 by Sun Yat-sen, the Republic of China’s first president. After Sun Yat-sen’s death in 1925, leadership of the party passed on to Chiang Kai-shek. Following the KMT’s defeat by the Chinese Communist Party in 1949 it moved to Taiwan. The KMT was led by Chiang Kai-shek until his death in April 1975. In November 1976 Chiang Ching-kuo, Chiang Kai-shek’s son, was elected as chair of the party. Taiwan-born Lee Teng-hui succeeded Chiang Ching-kuo after his death in 1988. The KMT dominated Taiwanese politics until March 2000. In 2000 the KMT presidential candidate was defeated and in 2001 elections the party lost its parliamentary majority. In 2004, however, the KMT and its allies regained a majority in parliament. In May 2008 the KMT’s presidential candidate, Ma Ying-jeou, was sworn in as president (‘China: Taiwan’ 2009, Political Handbook of the World Online Edition, CQ Press Electronic Library http://library.cqpress.com/phw/document.php?id=phw2009_ChinaTaiwan&type=query&num =kuomintang& – Accessed 21 July 2009 – Attachment 1; ‘Nationalist Party’ 2009, Encyclopædia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/405733/Nationalist-

1 Party – Accessed 22 July 2009 – Attachment 2; ‘Taiwan risk: Security risk’ 2009, Economist Intelligence Unit – Risk Briefing, 20 July – Attachment 3).

The Europa World Yearbook 2008 notes that the KMT was founded in 1894. However, information accessed on the Kuomintang website indicates that although the KMT was formed in 1912 it traces its history to the formation of the Revive China Society in 1894 (‘China (Taiwan): Political Organizations’ 2008, The Europa World Yearbook 2008, 49th ed., Routledge, London, p.1308 – Attachment 4; ‘Party’s History’ (undated), Kuomintang website http://www.kmt.org.tw/english/page.aspx?type=para&mnum=108 – Accessed 22 July 2009 – Attachment 5).

The leaders of the KMT are listed in the Political Handbook of the World Online Edition as follows:

MA Ying-jeou (President of the Republic), WU Poh-hsiung (Chair), LIEN Chan (Honorary Chair), Vincent SIEW (Vice President of the Republic), WANG Jin-pyng (President, Legislative Branch), WU Den-yih (Secretary General) (‘China: Taiwan’ 2009, Political Handbook of the World Online Edition, CQ Press Electronic Library http://library.cqpress.com/phw/document.php?id=phw2009_ChinaTaiwan&type=query&num =kuomintang& – Accessed 21 July 2009- Attachment 1).

Sources report that the KMT’s platform is based on Sun Yat-sen’s “Three Principles of the People” (Day, Alan J. (ed) 2002, Political Parties of the World, 5th ed., John Harper Publishing, London, p.455 – Attachment 6; ‘Nationalist Party’ 2009, Encyclopædia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/405733/Nationalist-Party – Accessed 22 July 2009 – Attachment 2).

The Encyclopædia Britannica identifies the “Three Principles of the People” as “minzu zhuyi” (or “nationalism”), “minquan” (“‘rights of the people,’ sometimes translated as ‘democracy’”) and “minsheng” (“‘people’s livelihood,’ which is often translated as ‘socialism’”) (‘Three Principles of the People’ 2009, Encyclopædia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/593881/Three-Principles-of-the-People – Accessed 22 July 2009 – Attachment 7).

The Europa World Yearbook 2008 outlines the KMT’s policies in the following terms:

…aims to supplant communist rule in mainland China; supports democratic constitutional government, and advocates the unification of China; aims to promote market economy and equitable distribution of wealth (‘China (Taiwan): Political Organizations’ 2008, The Europa World Yearbook 2008, 49th ed., Routledge, London, p.1308 – Attachment 4).

The Economist Intelligence Unit – Risk Briefing has also stated that in Taiwanese domestic politics “the pan-blue camp (led by the Kuomintang – KMT)” “has traditionally promoted Chinese culture and eventual unification with China” (‘Taiwan risk: Political stability risk’ 2009, Economist Intelligence Unit – Risk Briefing, 20 July – Attachment 8).

In this respect the Encyclopædia Britannica noted that the KMT, to resolve differences with China, “endorsed the policy of the ‘Three Nots’: not unification, not independence, and not military confrontation” (‘Nationalist Party’ 2009, Encyclopædia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/405733/Nationalist-Party – Accessed 22 July 2009 – Attachment 2).

The KMT’s emblem as shown on its website is:

(‘KMT Kuomintang Official Website’ (undated), Kuomintang website http://www.kmt.org.tw/flindex.html – Accessed 22 July 2009 – Attachment 9).

On the KMT’s newspaper, the Central Daily News, the Taipei Times reported that it was “shut down” in June 2006 but “was reborn” as an electronic newspaper in September 2006. The Central Daily News website (in Chinese) is at http://www.cdnews.com.tw/cdnews_site/ (‘Taiwan Quick Take: ‘Central Daily News’ reborn’ 2006, Taipei Times, 14 September http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2006/09/14/2003327560/wiki – Accessed 22 July 2009 – Attachment 10).

The KMT’s official website may be found at http://www.kmt.org.tw/ (in Chinese) and http://www.kmt.org.tw/english/index.aspx (in English).

List of Sources Consulted

Internet Sources: Google search engine http://www.google.com.au/ CIAONET http://www.ciaonet.org/ The Economist http://www.economist.com/ Far East Economic Review http://www.feer.com/home

Databases:

FACTIVA (news database) BACIS (DIAC Country Information database) REFINFO (IRBDC (Canada) Country Information database) ISYS (RRT Research & Information database, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, US Department of State Reports) RRT Library Catalogue

List of Attachments

1. ‘China: Taiwan’ 2009, Political Handbook of the World Online Edition, CQ Press Electronic Library http://library.cqpress.com/phw/document.php?id=phw2009_ChinaTaiwan&type=quer y&num=kuomintang& – Accessed 21 July 2009.

2. ‘Nationalist Party’ 2009, Encyclopædia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/405733/Nationalist-Party – Accessed 22 July 2009.

3 3. ‘Taiwan risk: Security risk’ 2009, Economist Intelligence Unit – Risk Briefing, 20 July. (FACTIVA)

4. ‘China (Taiwan): Political Organizations’ 2008, The Europa World Yearbook 2008, 49th ed., Routledge, London, p.1308. (MRT-RRT Library)

5. ‘Party’s History’ (undated), Kuomintang website http://www.kmt.org.tw/english/page.aspx?type=para&mnum=108 – Accessed 22 July 2009.

6. Day, Alan J. (ed) 2002, Political Parties of the World, 5th ed., John Harper Publishing, London, pp.455-456. (MRT-RRT Library)

7. ‘Three Principles of the People’ 2009, Encyclopædia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/593881/Three-Principles-of-the-People – Accessed 22 July 2009.

8. ‘Taiwan risk: Political stability risk’ 2009, Economist Intelligence Unit – Risk Briefing, 20 July. (FACTIVA)

9. ‘KMT Kuomintang Official Website’ (undated), Kuomintang website http://www.kmt.org.tw/flindex.html – Accessed 22 July 2009.

10. ‘Taiwan Quick Take: ‘Central Daily News’ reborn’ 2006, Taipei Times, 14 September http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2006/09/14/2003327560/wiki – Accessed 22 July 2009.