Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday called for a “Taiwan consensus” and the establishment of a mechanism for the nation’s policy on China and peaceful exchanges across the Taiwan Strait.
In a press conference to publicize her cross-strait policies, the DPP presidential candidate denied the existence of the so-called “1992 consensus” and said that if she were elected president, the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) signed with China last year would be reviewed by the legislature and adjusted if necessary.
Tsai said “consensus” and “democratic mechanism” were the crucial elements in Taiwan’s engagement with China, adding that it was a lack of transparency under President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who is running for re-election in January, that had steered Taiwan in the “wrong” direction.
Photo: Taipei Times
That was why she has proposed a “Taiwan consensus,” which would be achieved by a democratic, non-partisan mechanism so that Taiwan’s China policies would be consistent and unaffected by regime change.
To build the consensus, the nation can start with “maintaining the ‘status quo,’” which is the most popular approach, despite the different interpretations of the “status quo,” she said.
With a consensus, Taiwan would be able to engage in future dialogue with China, she said.
“Regardless of who wins the presidential election, the mechanism should be established,” she said.
The term “1992 consensus” did not exist until 2000, she said, adding that even the person who coined it admitted it was an “invention.”
Former National Security Council secretary-general Su Chi (蘇起) said in 2006 that he had invented the term before the KMT handed over power to the DPP in 2000. China has said the consensus would be the foundation of cross-strait ties.
A responsible leader and political party with vision should be able to “sit down and discuss [the 1992 consensus] with related parties, rather than carry out his own will and drag the entire country along with him,” Tsai said.
The cross-strait situation now is far different from that of 1992, with more exchanges and more complex political dynamics, she said.
“Cross-strait relations should be dealt with in a brand new framework,” the DPP leader said, urging both sides of the Strait to abandon conventional thinking.
Tsai said the DPP would handle the ECFA according to international regulations and democratic mechanisms, but she did not rule out putting the agreement to a referendum “if people think it is necessary.”
In the presentation, which contained few surprises, Tsai and her team explained their policies on national security and cross-strait economy and trade, both of which are part of the DPP’s 10-year policy guidelines released on Monday.
Her national security policy as president would be based on universal values, balanced external relations, mutually beneficial strategic thinking, democratic consensus and a defensive-oriented mechanism to safeguard security, Tsai said.
On the economy and foreign policy, Taiwan would treat China the same way it treats the US, Japan or the EU, she said. This meant Taiwan would be “walking toward China through the international community,” she said.
On cross-strait trade relations, Tsai said the nation should seek opportunities to sign free-trade agreements with the US, Japan, India, the EU and ASEAN, adding that Taiwan was likely to engage in regional economic integration by joining the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific through APEC.
Taiwan should maintain its economic independence at all times and make sure it is capable of monitoring Taiwanese investment in China, she said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) said in a press release yesterday that his party — an ally of the DPP — opposes continued implementation of the ECFA, which he said was “a chain that will eventually constrain Taiwan’s economy.”
“The TSU stands by its firm position that the ECFA should be terminated,” Huang said.
Tsai’s plan to place the ECFA under an international framework was acceptable and praiseworthy, said Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信), who is on the TSU’s legislator-at-large list, but any agreement that has not been screened and authorized by the legislature should not be implemented in a democratic country such as Taiwan.
‘ABUSE OF POWER’: Lee Chun-yi allegedly used a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon and take his wife to restaurants, media reports said Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) resigned on Sunday night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by the media. Control Yuan Vice President Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) yesterday apologized to the public over the issue. The watchdog body would follow up on similar accusations made by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and would investigate the alleged misuse of government vehicles by three other Control Yuan members: Su Li-chiung (蘇麗瓊), Lin Yu-jung (林郁容) and Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋), Lee Hung-chun said. Lee Chun-yi in a statement apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a
BEIJING’S ‘PAWN’: ‘We, as Chinese, should never forget our roots, history, culture,’ Want Want Holdings general manager Tsai Wang-ting said at a summit in China The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday condemned Want Want China Times Media Group (旺旺中時媒體集團) for making comments at the Cross-Strait Chinese Culture Summit that it said have damaged Taiwan’s sovereignty, adding that it would investigate if the group had colluded with China in the matter and contravened cross-strait regulations. The council issued a statement after Want Want Holdings (旺旺集團有限公司) general manager Tsai Wang-ting (蔡旺庭), the third son of the group’s founder, Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), said at the summit last week that the group originated in “Chinese Taiwan,” and has developed and prospered in “the motherland.” “We, as Chinese, should never
‘A SURVIVAL QUESTION’: US officials have been urging the opposition KMT and TPP not to block defense spending, especially the special defense budget, an official said The US plans to ramp up weapons sales to Taiwan to a level exceeding US President Donald Trump’s first term as part of an effort to deter China as it intensifies military pressure on the nation, two US officials said on condition of anonymity. If US arms sales do accelerate, it could ease worries about the extent of Trump’s commitment to Taiwan. It would also add new friction to the tense US-China relationship. The officials said they expect US approvals for weapons sales to Taiwan over the next four years to surpass those in Trump’s first term, with one of them saying
INDO-PACIFIC REGION: Royal Navy ships exercise the right of freedom of navigation, including in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, the UK’s Tony Radakin told a summit Freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region is as important as it is in the English Channel, British Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Tony Radakin said at a summit in Singapore on Saturday. The remark came as the British Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales, is on an eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific region as head of an international carrier strike group. “Upholding the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and with it, the principles of the freedom of navigation, in this part of the world matters to us just as it matters in the
RSS