A DPP spokesman has demanded that the KMT produce documents it said prove the existence of the so-called "1992 consensus" of "one China, with each side making its own interpretation."
Over the weekend, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) criticized President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) for refusing to recognize the existence of "one China."
Chen has refused to accept the "one China" principle, saying it would would be tantamount to the elimination the Republic of China
"Lien Chan says that there are official documents proving that the two sides reached a consensus that there is `one China, with each side making its own interpretation,'" DPP spokesman Phoenix Cheng (
On Saturday, Chen said no 1992 consensus existed.
In a press release, Lien Chan said Chen's denial of the existence of the consensus showed that "there are problems with his logic," blaming the DPP government for the tense state of cross-strait relations.
"If the government cannot find the relevant official communications, the KMT is ready to find the documents for them," Lien said.
"`One China' means the Republic of China. Chen Shui-bian's refusal to recognize `one China' signifies his denial of the existence of the Republic of China," the KMT chairman said in the release. "It's a great shame that [Chen] doesn't recognize the Republic of China."
Cheng yesterday demanded evidence of the consensus, seizing the opportunity to hint at the possibility of wrongdoing on the KMT's part.
"The KMT should say whether it removed secret documents during the transfer of power. This is an issue about the law and the political system," Cheng said.
As of press time last night, the KMT had not yet issued a response.
Yesterday afternoon, the Presidential Office also responded to Lien's statements.
Kuo Yao-chi (郭瑤琪), spokeswoman for the office, said the president has stood firm in his denial of the existence of "one China," but looks forward to negotiating with China.
Chen said Saturday that accepting the "one China" principle would be tantamount to the elimination the Republic of China.
Chen said during a meeting Thursday with former US defense secretary William Cohen that there are no documents in Taiwan's official records to substantiate Beijing's claim that the two sides reached a consensus in 1992 on the "one China" principle.
Shi Hwei-yow (
"The two governments have had different stances on the `one China' issue and never reached any consensus. There are records of the two sides' communications on the issue, but there has never been any agreement," Shi said. "That being so, if there was a 1992 consensus, then the two sides should sit down to discuss what it is."
Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, said that the documents held by the council on the issue are "only the two sides' faxed letters about expressions of `one China.'"
"We certainly can't recognize China's `one China' principle under which the only term denoting China is the `People's Republic of China,'" Chen said.
"Both sides have always insisted on their respective stances and that's why, when we refer to the 1992 negotiations, we talk about the `1992 spirit' which President Chen has defined as an `agreement to disagree.'"
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft