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
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