President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) interpretation of the so-called “1992 consensus” has been tilting toward Beijing’s definition, as evidenced by his latest message to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and that could spell trouble for Taiwan’s future, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus said yesterday.
In his reply to Xi’s congratulatory letter for his re-election as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman on Saturday, Ma wrote that “both sides of the Taiwan Strait reached a consensus in 1992 to express each other’s insistence on the ‘one China’ principle.”
“The message marked the latest retreat Ma has made about the ‘1992 consensus.’ It was unacceptable and reflected that eventual unification is Ma’s vision of Taiwan’s future,” DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) told a press conference.
Ma has given up his ground over the years on the sensitive political term, which he and the KMT always called “the foundation of cross-strait peace and the most important element for the best cross-strait ties in six decades,” Gao said.
According to the lawmaker, Ma said he would not accept the “1992 consensus” if it referred to the “one China” principle in 2006. Two years later, Ma said both sides should not engage in talks if Beijing insisted on the “one China” principle.
In 2010, Ma described the “1992 consensus” as the foundation for the resumption of bilateral talks and in November last year, the president said it meant that both sides insisted that there is only “one China,” but interpreted the context of their argument differently, the lawmaker said.
Taiwan has always refused to accept the “one China” principle and maintained that the “1992 consensus” only expressed that “each side verbally states its respective principles on ‘one China.’”
The most commonly used explanation of the consensus for the Taiwanese government has been “one China with different interpretations” (一中各表), while Beijing’s position was shortened as “respective expressions on the ‘one China’ principle” (各表一中).
“However, the message on Saturday showed that Ma has taken one step closer to Beijing’s ideology by abandoning the ‘different interpretations’ and upholding the ‘one China’ principle,” Gao said.
The inappropriate reply was likely an attempt to pave the way for a possible meeting between Ma and Xi, DPP Legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) said.
However, it was dangerous that Ma has made such a decision on Taiwan’s future alone, without respecting the opinions of the 23 million Taiwanese, Wu said.
“I don’t see how the people of Taiwan could not be angry over a message that unilaterally dictated the direction of this country without their consent,” he said.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
‘NATO-PLUS’: ‘Our strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific are facing increasing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party,’ US Representative Rob Wittman said The US House of Representatives on Monday released its version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes US$1.15 billion to support security cooperation with Taiwan. The omnibus act, covering US$1.2 trillion of spending, allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, as well as US$150 million for the replacement of defense articles and reimbursement of defense services provided to Taiwan. The fund allocations were based on the US National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 that was passed by the US Congress last month and authorized up to US$1 billion to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in support of the
A Vietnamese migrant worker yesterday won NT$12 million (US$379,627) on a Lunar New Year scratch card in Kaohsiung as part of Taiwan Lottery Co’s (台灣彩券) “NT$12 Million Grand Fortune” (1200萬大吉利) game. The man was the first top-prize winner of the new game launched on Jan. 6 to mark the Lunar New Year. Three Vietnamese migrant workers visited a Taiwan Lottery shop on Xinyue Street in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (崗山), a store representative said. The player bought multiple tickets and, after winning nothing, held the final lottery ticket in one hand and rubbed the store’s statue of the Maitreya Buddha’s belly with the other,
RSS