President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will support the continuing development of cross-strait ties.
Speaking at the party’s 18th Central Advisory Council meeting, Ma reiterated that the improvement of ties with China has had a significant impact on Taiwan and that maintaining bilateral relations would be an indispensa
Though there is still room for debate over how close Taiwan’s relations with China should be, there is no doubt that ties must be developed, he said.
Ma also reiterated his support for using the so-called “1992 consensus” to “uphold basic constitutional principles while developing cross-strait relations.”
The “1992 consensus” refers to a supposed understanding reached during a meeting in Hong Kong in 1992 between Taiwanese and Chinese representatives, under which both sides acknowledged that there was only one China, with each side having its own interpretation of what “one China” means.
The Democratic Progressive Party insists that the “1992 consensus” does not exist and that it was fabricated by then-Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起).
Su admitted in 2006 that he had created the term in 2000, shortly before then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was inaugurated, with the aim of giving the two sides of the Taiwan Strait a “basis for dialogue.”
Ma said the government had adopted a moderate policy to cope with the financial crisis and economic recession to allow Taiwan’s economy to gradually rebound. He said the country’s economic indicators would move into positive territory in the fourth quarter this year.
Ma highlighted the improved economic prospects created by closer economic ties with China, pointing to an announcement on Saturday by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co chairman Morris Chang (張忠謀) that his firm would give each employee a special bonus next month equivalent to half-a-month’s pay.
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Chang also praised Ma for making an important contribution to normalizing cross-strait ties, which he said could create more opportunities for local businesses.
Earlier yesterday, Ma visited Yilan County to inspect areas affected by Tropical Storm Parma. However, he distanced himself from Yilan County Commissioner Lu Kuo-hua (呂國華) by not showing up at Lu’s campaign office.
Lu has been harshly criticized for his poor performance in dealing with the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot in August.
Next Magazine has also alleged that Lu pocketed NT$22 million (US$680,000) from the contractor of the Yilan Green Expo project. Next claimed that prosecutors had launched an investigation in June last year.
Lu has denied the allegation and vowed to resign and withdraw from the election if he was found guilty.
He also downplayed Ma’s absence yesterday. However, Ma did attend an evening rally for Changhua County Commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源), who is also seeking re-election in Dec. 5 elections.
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