The Republic of China (ROC) has always recognized the “1992 consensus” and the Constitution in the pursuit of cross-strait peace and development, Presidential Office spokesman Fang Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基) said yesterday.
Fang said the ROC’s stance on handling cross-strait relations was very clear, with adherence to the “one China, with each side having its own interpretation” consensus.
It also abides by the view that each side does not recognize the other side’s sovereignty, while not denying the right of the other government to exist under the ROC Constitution and seeking peaceful development across the strait by recognizing similarities and putting aside differences, Fang said.
Although the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has made the so-called “1992 consensus” a cornerstone of its diplomatic relations with Beijing, several politicians, including many Democratic Progressive Party members and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), say that it is a fabrication.
Fang’s comments came after media reported last week that former American Institute in Taiwan chairman Richard Bush had said during a symposium in Washington that despite the People’s Republic of China control over Chinese territory, Beijing could not entirely negate the fact that the ROC was present and has been present since 1912.
If Beijing were willing to accept the “two Chinas” concept proposed by the US decades ago, it would be applicable to cross-strait relations, said Bush, now director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution.
TRANSLATED BY JAKE CHUNG, STAFF WRITER WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
RSS