New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) and China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Liu Jieyi (劉結一) yesterday reiterated the so-called “1992 consensus” as a basis for cross-strait relations as they met in Shanghai.
Chu is the first Taiwanese politician to meet Liu since the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Central Committee announced the former UN ambassador’s appointment earlier this month.
Insistence on the “1992 consensus” has been the consistent position of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Chu said.
Even though the KMT is now the opposition party, this stance would not change, and it hopes that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can engage in peaceful exchanges and achieve win-win cooperation, Chu said.
Although the political circumstances have changed, what people hope for most is peace, he said.
Local-level exchanges must also continue, as the two sides could learn about city governance from each other, he said.
Beijing insists on the “1992 consensus,” which reflects the “one China” principle and opposes Taiwanese independence schemes in any form, Liu said.
“The mainland’s policies toward Taiwan are to continue to uphold the ‘two sides of the Strait, one family’ ideology,” he said.
China hopes the two sides can work together for the peaceful development of relations and “jointly promote the process of the peaceful reunification of the motherland,” Chinese state media quoted Liu telling Chu.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) said in 2006 that he had made up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that the two sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
In Taipei, the Mainland Affairs Council said the government holds a positive attitude toward city-level cross-strait exchanges, but they must be handled according to relevant guidelines.
Attention must be paid to reciprocal respect, while issues pertaining to public power fall within the authority of the central government and no agreements are to be signed, it added.
The New Taipei City Government should remember to follow the relevant guidelines when it engages in cross-strait exchanges with other cities, the council said.
China should not set a one-sided political framework to limit cross-strait exchanges, it added.
In related developments, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said several Chinese military aircraft were spotted flying over the Bashi Channel yesterday as part of a long-range flight training mission in the western Pacific.
The aircraft included Su-30s, Shaanxi Y-8 transport planes and Xian H-6 bombers, which all returned to their bases in China on the same route, the ministry said.
It said it had scrambled aircraft to shadow the Chinese planes until they returned to their bases.
The military is maintaining a close watch on Chinese military movements and the necessary measures to ensure national security, the ministry added.
Additional reporting by CNA and Reuters
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