President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has reiterated her proposal that Taipei and Beijing create a new model to handle cross-strait relations, which have been at a standstill since her inauguration in May last year.
Taiwan hopes that both sides can begin to think about the matter after the conclusion of the Chinese Communist Party’s 19th National Congress, at which the party’s new leadership is to be elected, Tsai said in an interview with the Central News Agency published yesterday.
The week-long congress is scheduled to begin on Oct. 18.
Photo: CNA
The two sides of the Taiwan Strait have for many years dealt with their ties based on an established model and guidelines, which to a certain extent have helped maintain cross-strait stability, Tsai said.
However, in view of new international situations, they should consider whether there is a need to examine such old practices and mindsets, she said.
“If we keep sticking to these past practices and ways of thinking, it will probably be very hard for us to deal with the volatile regional situations in Asia,” Tsai said.
Unhappy that Tsai’s government has refused to recognize the so-called “1992 consensus,” Beijing has suspended official dialogue with Taipei since she took office.
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is only “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Beijing has insisted that the Tsai administration explicitly accept the “1992 consensus” — which in effect says that Taiwan is part of China — as the political foundation for the continuation of relatively warm relations under her predecessor, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
However, Tsai has only been willing to say that she respects the historical fact that cross-strait talks took place and that some understanding was reached.
Both sides have made considerable efforts to maintain cross-strait stability over the past 16 months, Tsai said, but added that on major political issues, “they feel we have not reached their expectations, but we have already shown the utmost goodwill.”
She reiterated that the viewpoints outlined in her inaugural address would remain her principles in dealing with cross-strait ties.
In her inauguration speech, Tsai promised that her administration would work to maintain the existing mechanisms for dialogue and communication across the Taiwan Strait and would conduct cross-strait affairs in accordance with the Republic of China Constitution, the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) and other relevant legislation.
She also recognized that “there was joint acknowledgement of setting aside differences to seek common ground” in the 1992 talks between representatives of Taipei and Beijing.
In the interview, Tsai said she did not see Premier William Lai’s (賴清德) comments in open support for Taiwanese independence at the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday last week as affecting cross-strait relations.
Lai is fully aware of the government’s overall policy goals and understands very well “what the limits are,” she said.
Regarding the nation’s military readiness, Tsai said the government would increase its defense spending gradually over the next few years to provide the armed forces with stable financial resources to support efforts to develop a plan to increase the nation’s combat capacity in the next decade.
‘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
EUROPEAN TARGETS: The planned Munich center would support TSMC’s European customers to design high-performance, energy-efficient chips, an executive said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday said that it plans to launch a new research-and-development (R&D) center in Munich, Germany, next quarter to assist customers with chip design. TSMC Europe president Paul de Bot made the announcement during a technology symposium in Amsterdam on Tuesday, the chipmaker said. The new Munich center would be the firm’s first chip designing center in Europe, it said. The chipmaker has set up a major R&D center at its base of operations in Hsinchu and plans to create a new one in the US to provide services for major US customers,
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