Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良) sparked controversy yesterday, claiming that the party would not reject “unification” of Taiwan and China as an option and that Taiwanese independence is not one of its mainstream values.

Speaking in an interview with Chinese media outlet the Global Times, Hsu said that “independence” was never an objective when the DPP was founded in 1986 and that Taiwanese independence is not a mainstream value in the party, adding that the DPP would not reject Taiwan’s “unification” with China as a possibility.