The term “1992 consensus” was non-existent until 2000, when then-Mainland Affairs Commission chairman Su Chi (蘇起) first used it, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond Burghardt said.
Burghardt made the remarks in an interview with Voice of America in Washington on Wednesday when he was asked about the historical background of the so-called “1992 consensus,” as he was formerly the US consul-general in Shanghai.
“I think everyone in China knows, the term ‘1992 consensus’ was not used by anyone until 2001, no, 2000; Su Chi, [former] president Ma Jing-jeou’s [馬英九] first National Security Council adviser, was the first person to use that term to describe the understanding that had been reached in 1992. Before that, I mean, in all the time I met with [then-Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) chairman] Wang Daohan (汪道涵) or with [then-Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman] Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫), they never called it that, never called it the ‘1992 consensus,’ because the name didn’t exist. Koo would sometimes just call it the ‘1992 understanding,’” he said.
Photo provided by Taipei Photojournalists Association
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
In 2006, Su, then a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, admitted he made up the term “1992 consensus” in 2000, before the KMT handed power to the Democratic Progressive Party.
Meanwhile, responding to the question of whether President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was muddying the water when she did not explicitly recognize or deny the “1992 consensus” or the “one China” principle in her inauguration address, Burghardt said Tsai has displayed flexibility in dealing with cross-strait relations and it is important for both China and Taiwan to continue to communicate.
He also said it is important for both sides to “create a certain amount of ambiguity,” adding that there was a lot of ambiguity in the understanding reached between the Ma administration and China.
Burghardt said this is an important period for both Beijing and Taipei to carefully watch each other’s actions and statements.
However, he also said it is very important for both sides to “keep an open mind” and maintain communication.
Burghardt said that one of the things the US prized very much after Ma took office in May 2008 was the “restoration of regular communication across the Strait.”
He said that if both sides can talk to each other, miscommunication, misunderstanding and miscalculation “can all be avoided.”
Asked whether cross-strait relations are not as warm as during the Ma administration, Burghardt said that “it is unfortunate that Beijing decided to discontinue or suspend talks” between the two sides recently.
He expressed hope that Beijing can understand the importance of cross-strait communication and will want to continue, as “nothing is going to be fixed without continued communication.”
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
RSS