China’s top Taiwan policymaker yesterday said it was important that Beijing and Taipei address issues to “consolidate the political foundation” for the continued peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Strait.
“The cross-strait relationship has entered a new era over the years based on the [so-called] ‘1992 consensus’... Despite recent twists and turns, both sides should be committed to developing and further consolidating the political foundation” to continue to promote cross-strait exchanges in various fields, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) was quoted as saying on the first day of his visit to Taiwan.
TAO spokesperson Ma Xiao-guang (馬曉光) conveyed the remarks at a press conference following Zhang’s two-hour closed-door meeting with Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦).
Photo: Pichi Chuang, Reuters
In Zhang’s opening remarks to the press, he said that China and Taiwan have to “increase mutual political trust” so that they can proceed in the right path to promoting the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a supposed understanding reached in 1992 between Taiwanese and Chinese representatives, under which both sides acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “one China” means.
Zhang’s statements appear to contain a bid for political talks with Taiwan, but at a separate press conference where Wang fielded questions from reporters, the MAC minister denied that Zhang brought up political issues during the meeting.
Screengrab from the Black Island Youth Alliance Facebook page
Zhang’s trip follows a visit by Wang to China in February. That was part of efforts on both sides to establish a system of regular visits by officials and normalize communication channels between the TAO and the MAC.
The reciprocal visit by Zhang was an “important step” toward building government-to-government contact to deal with cross-strait issues, Wang and Zhang said, adding that the two sides would continue to arrange similar visits.
In Wang’s opening remarks, he said he hoped Zhang could experience Taiwan’s energetic and diverse society during his stay. He also urged Zhang and his delegation to “listen to Taiwanese people, understand their lifestyle and respect their decisions.”
At the post-meeting press conference, Wang said he reiterated during the meeting the government’s position that “the future of Taiwan has to be decided by its 23 million people per the Constitution of the Republic of China.”
Wang said he told Zhang that the government’s position is a “consensus” of Taiwanese society and hoped that Beijing would respect it.
Wang was responding to a recent comment made by TAO spokesperson Fan Liqing (范麗青), who said that the future of Taiwan should be decided by all Chinese, including people in Taiwan.
Fan’s remarks sparked a furious response from many Taiwanese. Asked whether Zhang has noticed these reactions, Ma said China’s position on issues related to its territorial integrity is clear, consistent and firm.
Wang added that Zhang agreed to two demands that Taiwan has long made: After Taiwan and China establish reciprocal representative offices across the Strait, the offices should be endowed with the right to visit prisoners detained or jailed on the other side and China should allow its tourists to transit through Taiwan en route to other countries.
On economic issues, Zhang agreed that both sides should start negotiations on the cross-strait service trade agreement in accordance with its emergency negotiation mechanism once the trade pact is passed by the legislature, continue negotiations on trade in goods and begin a study on issues related to regional economic integration.
Wang and Zhang said they did not discuss issues related to possible meetings between President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
‘NOT ALONE’: A Taiwan Strait war would disrupt global trade routes, and could spark a worldwide crisis, so a powerful US presence is needed as a deterrence, a US senator said US Senator Deb Fischer on Thursday urged her colleagues in the US Congress to deepen Washington’s cooperation with Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific partners to contain the global security threat from China. Fischer and other lawmakers recently returned from an official trip to the Indo-Pacific region, where they toured US military bases in Hawaii and Guam, and visited leaders, including President William Lai (賴清德). The trip underscored the reality that the world is undergoing turmoil, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region is crucial to the security interests of the US and its partners, she said. Her visit to Taiwan demonstrated ways the
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS