If there was a so-called "1992 consensus," China has since aborted it. According to this "consensus," both China and Taiwan would accept the principle of "one China, with self-description by each side." The self-description automatically excludes any intention to use force.
To date, China has trumpeted the "one China" principle and supplemented its self-description with military threats against Taiwan. On the other hand, China has completely deprived Taiwan of self-description and self-interpretation. Whatever Taiwan says or does domestically or internationally, China just says no without exception or hesitation. China's intrinsic intention is to suffocate Taiwan. This is not a consensus, by any standard.
Nobody can deny that the "one China" is the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the PRC is China. By the same token, President Chen Shui-bian (
What China should do is give up its military power against Taiwan and let Taiwan have free expression and global participation. The US should also reassess the "one China" principle, which is contrary to the status quo and against the will of the freedom-loving people in Taiwan.
Charles Hong
Columbus, Ohio
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