People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) yesterday said that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) selecting him to be her special envoy at this year’s APEC leaders’ summit was a demonstration of her “maximum goodwill” to Beijing, acknowledging that he had communicated with China about the matter prior to the announcement of his appointment.
Soong made the remarks at a news conference at the Evergreen Laurel Hotel Taipei, where in March the PFP chairman had his first meeting with Tsai after her victory in the Jan. 16 presidential election.
“By appointing me, Tsai has shown a high level of goodwill. If Beijing cannot accept a person like me, how would there be any hope of peaceful cross-strait development?” Soong said.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
Soong said Tsai asked him to represent her at the annual summit during a meeting at the Presidential Office on Aug. 4, but he did not accept the offer immediately due to the importance of the mission.
He decided to take up the challenge after careful deliberation, Soong said.
“The appointment fills me with a deep sense of responsibility. It is a mission rather than a job. This mission is not about personal glory, but the entrustment of a responsibility to present to the international community the achievements Taiwan has made in the past decades,” Soong said.
Asked whether Beijing was aware of Tsai’s decision before it was announced on Wednesday, Soong acknowledged that he had communicated with China, but declined to reveal any details.
As for how he plans to react if he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) at the summit, which is to be held in Peru next month, Soong said the summit would serve as a good opportunity for him to meet with Xi.
“If we are able to have more interaction and get to know about each other better at an international event, we will be able to assuage misunderstanding and reach reconciliation,” Soong said.
However, Soong added that it was premature to say how any potential meeting with Xi would be conducted.
“We should not open the lid of a cooker before the rice is fully cooked,” he said.
Soong also shrugged off concerns about his and the president’s conflicting opinions about the so-called “1992 consensus,” saying that he is capable of separating his personal views and the mission entrusted to him by the government.
“Since I am going to represent the president, I will know how far to go and when to stop when it comes to cross-strait issues,” Soong said.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Beijing that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted to making up the term in 2000.
Tsai’s refusal to accept the “1992 consensus” has resulted in punitive measures from Beijing, including suspending official cross-strait communication mechanisms, squeezing Taiwan’s international space and reducing the number of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan.
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