President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he was confident Beijing had the same understanding of the “1992 consensus” as Taipei, adding that each side — both part of the same “Chinese nation” — had its own interpretation of “one China.”
Ma said he made clear in his inaugural address that his administration would maintain the “status quo” through the “three noes” under the framework of the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution and develop cross-strait relations on the basis of the “1992 consensus.”
The “three noes” refer to no discussion of unification with Beijing during Ma’s presidency, no pursuit of, or support for, de jure Taiwanese independence and no use of force to resolve cross-strait disputes.
Ma said the “1992 consensus” was an agreement reached by both sides in 1992 and Taiwan’s understanding was that each side had its own interpretation of what “one China” signifies.
“Recently, some representatives from the mainland Chinese authorities mentioned this consensus when they were here,” Ma said. “I believe their understanding is consistent with ours.”
However, on Feb. 21, 2006, then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Su Chi (蘇起) admitted that he made up the term “1992 consensus” in 2000 when he was Mainland Affairs Council chairman. Su said he invented the term to break the cross-strait deadlock and alleviate tension before the KMT handed over power to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Ma said Taiwan and China had signed 14 agreements over the past two years “as a result of the consensus,” something he said had been a “rare occurrence” over the past 60 years.
“Both sides realize this is a historic juncture and should grasp the opportunity to improve bilateral ties as cross-strait detente is conducive to peace not only across the Taiwan Strait but also in East Asia and the whole world,” he said at the Presidential Office during a meeting with participants in an international forum on the People’s Liberation Army.
Some people recently proposed that Taipei and Beijing consider establishing a confidence-building mechanism (CBM), Ma said, but the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) signed in June was a kind of CBM, because without mutual trust, both sides would not have signed such a complicated trade pact that requires both sides to commit to a long-term relationship.
Ma said his conciliatory approach was intended to ease cross-strait tensions so that Taiwan would have more time to respond to and become more capable of handling crises.
Taiwan must strengthen its defense capabilities, but it cannot afford to engage in an arms race with China, he said.
His administration would continue to purchase defensive weapons from the US that Taiwan cannot produce itself, but military hardware was not the only way to protect Taiwan, he said. This was why his administration has tried so hard to pursue economic and cultural exchanges with China, he said.
His cross-strait policy has -reduced tension across the Taiwan Strait and both sides have developed a certain degree of mutual trust, Ma said, adding that he hoped both sides would find the best solution to cross-strait disputes “under the guidance of Chinese culture” because both peoples are of one “Chinese nation” and all yan huang zisun (descendants of emperors Yan and Huang).
Ma sought to clarify his remarks about one “Chinese nation” later in the day, saying there were three common characteristics to the “Chinese nation”: They have the same ancestors and the same last names, come from the same towns and villages and go to the same schools.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Taiwan has activated backup communications for its northernmost territory, the remote and strategically located island of Dongyin (東引), after poor weather conditions apparently shifted the wreckage of a ship onto an undersea cable causing it to break. The vulnerability of undersea communication cables linking Taiwan with its outlying islands has been a persistent cause of concern for Taipei, whose government has on several occasions blamed Chinese ships for intentionally causing damage. Dongyin, home to about 1,500 people, sits in a strategic position at the top of the Taiwan Strait and the island has a heavy military presence. It does not have an
RSS