Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) met with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) for more than two hours in Beijing yesterday and agreed to a five-point "vision for cross-strait peace" based on the so-called "1992 consensus."
In the much-anticipated meeting, Hu and Lien talked as leaders of their respective parties, the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), in private at Beijing's Great Hall of the People.
At a press conference held directly after the meeting, Lien described his talks with Hu as "sincere and natural." The animosity between the CCP and the KMT is a thing of the past, and what is important is to work together to create the future, he said.
At the press conference, KMT spokesman Chang Jung-kung (
The first point, Chang said, is an agreement between the CCP and the KMT to support the so-called "1992 consensus" and to support the resumption of cross-strait negotiation.
Both parties oppose Taiwanese independence and seek the peaceful stabilization of the Taiwan Strait and facilitate the development of cross-strait peace, Chang said. Both parties agree on the importance of resuming negotiations on an equal basis and on the need for cross-strait dialogue on common issues in pursuit of the common good of both countries, he said.
Second, the two parties agreed on the need to facilitate the end of the standoff between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and on the establishment of a peace agreement, Chang said.
In order to do this, he said, the KMT and CCP have agreed to push for the establishment of mechanisms to promote peaceful and stable development of cross-strait relations, such as one for military affairs to avoid military conflicts.
Third, the two parties agreed to establish mechanisms to promote economic cooperation and cross-strait interaction, he said. Examples of economic cooperation agreed upon were the opening of direct transportation links, including direct flights, and the strengthening of investment and agricultural cooperation, he said.
Fourth, Chang said, the two parties agreed to push for negotiations on Taiwanese participation in international organizations and events. A priority, he said, would be Taiwanese membership in the World Health Organization, a position which Taiwan has long coveted but has been blocked by China.
The last point, Chang said, was a plan to establish a system for party-to-party communication and talks to continue the dialogue Lien and Hu began yesterday.
Both Lien and Hu emphasized the so-called "1992 consensus" in remarks prior to their closed-door meeting.
In his words of welcome to Lien, Hu called their meeting a historic moment for the both their parties and the beginning of a new era. He said the CCP welcomes anyone who acknowledges the "1992 consensus."
Indirectly slamming President Chen Shui-bian's (
"The KMT hopes to build a beautiful and bright future for both nations across the strait on the basis of the `1992 consensus,'" Lien said.
The so-called "1992 consensus" refers to an agreement supposedly made on "one China" during a meeting in Hong Kong in 1992 between Taiwanese and Chinese representatives.
The KMT has said that both sides agreed verbally that there was only one China and that both sides would retain their own interpretation of that "one China." Neither the Chen administration nor the former KMT government ever accepted that there was such a consensus.
Also see stories:
Foreign minister criticizes Lien's trip
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
RSS