Negotiations on a cross-strait peace agreement can not be completed overnight. Only with the "2005 consensus" as a basis can we gradually build mutual trust and benefits and push for stable cross-strait peace development.
The consensus is not an official consensus document signed by the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Rather, it is a tacit agreement that has been accepted by the two sides as a model for negotiations since January 2005. It has the following special characteristics: It leaves disputes aside, sets no conditions, demands mutual respect and relies on pragmatism, government direction and civil assistance.
The fact is that Taiwan and China did not reach a concrete written consensus in 1992, nor did the two parties reach a tacit agreement on the "one China" principle or the sovereignty dispute. At that time, they merely decided to set political disputes aside and push for talks on practical concerns.
Since 1992, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has insisted that the so-called "1992 consensus" says there is one China, with each side making its own interpretation, while the Chinese government's interpretation is that both sides agree to the "one China" principle. Over the past 15 years, no Chinese official has said that the consensus means that there is one China, with each side making its interpretation.
Although the two sides held many talks on practical matters after 1993, no agreement was reached because Beijing refused to deal with the jurisdiction of Taiwan. On Jan. 2, 2005, however, Beijing finally gave up its demand that the "one China" principle be a precondition and restarted cross-strait talks on practical matters.
On the basis of this new consensus, the two sides have already reached three agreements on cross-strait charter flights since 2005, including charter flights for the Lunar New Year holidays and four special cases, with a total of 443 flights. Today, the two sides are involved in three negotiations: Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan, passenger flights and cargo charter flights.
After the presidential election on March 22, China's attempts to affect Taiwan's election results will no longer be a factor and the two sides are likely to reach agreements very soon. As these negotiations on functional affairs are completed, talks will be extended to other issues.
Taiwan and China will then be able to push for stable cross-strait peace development on the basis of a "2005 consensus" rather than the controversial so-called "1992 consensus."
Tung Chen-yuan is the vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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