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 year-long renovation of Taipei’s Bangka Park (艋舺公園) began yesterday, as city workers fenced off the site and cleared out belongings left by homeless residents who had been living there. Despite protests from displaced residents, a city official defended the government’s relocation efforts, saying transitional housing has been offered. The renovation of the park in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), near Longshan Temple (龍山寺), began at 9am yesterday, as about 20 homeless people packed their belongings and left after being asked to move by city personnel. Among them was a 90-year-old woman surnamed Wang (王), who last week said that she had no plans
TO BE APPEALED: The environment ministry said coal reduction goals had to be reached within two months, which was against the principle of legitimate expectation The Taipei High Administrative Court on Thursday ruled in favor of the Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau in its administrative litigation against the Ministry of Environment for the rescission of a NT$18 million fine (US$609,570) imposed by the bureau on the Taichung Power Plant in 2019 for alleged excess coal power generation. The bureau in November 2019 revised what it said was a “slip of the pen” in the text of the operating permit granted to the plant — which is run by Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) — in October 2017. The permit originally read: “reduce coal use by 40 percent from Jan.
China might accelerate its strategic actions toward Taiwan, the South China Sea and across the first island chain, after the US officially entered a military conflict with Iran, as Beijing would perceive Washington as incapable of fighting a two-front war, a military expert said yesterday. The US’ ongoing conflict with Iran is not merely an act of retaliation or a “delaying tactic,” but a strategic military campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and reshaping the regional order in the Middle East, said National Defense University distinguished adjunct lecturer Holmes Liao (廖宏祥), former McDonnell Douglas Aerospace representative in Taiwan. If
‘SPEY’ REACTION: Beijing said its Eastern Theater Command ‘organized troops to monitor and guard the entire process’ of a Taiwan Strait transit China sent 74 warplanes toward Taiwan between late Thursday and early yesterday, 61 of which crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait. It was not clear why so many planes were scrambled, said the Ministry of National Defense, which tabulated the flights. The aircraft were sent in two separate tranches, the ministry said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday “confirmed and welcomed” a transit by the British Royal Navy’s HMS Spey, a River-class offshore patrol vessel, through the Taiwan Strait a day earlier. The ship’s transit “once again [reaffirmed the Strait’s] status as international waters,” the foreign ministry said. “Such transits by