Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday accused President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of “distorting history” by lying to Taiwanese with his claim that the so-called “1992 consensus” was a decision made during Lee’s presidency.
Lee’s statement, made via a posting on his Facebook page, came as a response to remarks made by Ma in an interview with the Chinese-language China Times on Thursday that the “1992 consensus” had been decided when Lee was president.
In the statement yesterday, Lee said he had publicly stated, on numerous occasions, that there was no consensus during the cross-strait talks in 1992 in Hong Kong, adding that late Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫) had also said that there was no such a consensus.
Lee said that Su Chi (蘇起), a former National Security Council secretary under Ma’s administration, had admitted creating the term.
“Ma’s continuous remarks that the ‘1992 consensus’ exists is unacceptable as it is an action that distorts history and is effectively lying to Taiwanese,” Lee said.
Lee said the National Unification Council (NUC) was established because of the conclusion of wartime status across the Strait. Its establishment also included temporary arrangements because of the acceptance of the different opinions within the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Lee said.
The NUC’s actual proposal at the time was “two political entities” and because China was unable to accept the “separate interpretations” of “two political entities,” there was no consensus, Lee said, adding that even now there is no consensus on the “separate interpretation” of “one China.”
The so-called “1992 consensus” referred to by China only has “one China,” and not “one China, with each side having its own interpretation,” Lee said.
“As such, where is the ‘consensus’?” he asked.
If Ma wishes to insist that there is a “1992 consensus,” he should first explain whether China agrees to “separate interpretations” and should also ask Beijing to publicly announce whether they agree to “separate interpretations” and thus acknowledge that the Republic of China (ROC) exists, Lee said.
Otherwise, it is selling out Taiwan’s sovereignty and bowing to China, Lee said.
If Taiwan and China reach a consensus, such an action must first follow a domestic democratic process and the reaching of a domestic consensus, Lee said.
Separately yesterday, Taiwan Solidarity Union Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) called a press conference and said Ma’s talk of the “1992 consensus” was in effect murdering the ROC.
He went on to urge voters to support Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in next month’s elections.
Urging voters to “abandon Ma and save Taiwan,” Huang added that “a government which cares nothing for the people is already severely threatening the democratic development of Taiwan.”
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff Writer
Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger said he does not foresee a Chinese military invasion of Taiwan in the next decade, although it is “perfectly possible” that China could seek to weaken the island’s status. “I don’t expect an all-out attack on Taiwan in, say, a 10-year period, which is as far as I can see,” Kissinger said yesterday in an interview on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS. Kissinger, 98, who also served as national security adviser and helped pave the way for then-US president Richard Nixon’s historic 1972 visit to China, said that “everyone wants to be a China hawk” and
Taiwanese actress Big S, also known as Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), and Chinese restaurateur Wang Xiaofei (汪小菲) officially announced their divorce yesterday, stating the decision was cordial and that they would be raising their two children together. The statement came by proxy through the couple’s legal counsel, filed by both Wang and Hsu. Hsu and Wang thanked fans for their love and support, with the couple saying that fate had blessed them with a time of happiness, and that they were grateful for their time together. They said that while they walked hand-in-hand as husband and wife, they would continue a cordial relationship as
UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS: Tortuous and possibly criminal penalties doled out by nine officers to a napping cadet have sparked calls for standardized discipline rules Defense experts called on the Ministry of Defense to create a standard code for maintaining discipline, after local media on Saturday reported that nine officers were reprimanded for administering inappropriate punishments to a conscript in Kinmen. Earlier last week, a boot camp recruit surnamed Chung (鍾) was stripped of his shirt and had icepacks placed against his armpits and crotch as a punishment for napping during physical training, the Kinmen Defense Command confirmed on Saturday. The command cadre of the battalion, including the battalion commander, the political warfare officer and the sergeant who ordered the drill have been transferred and could face
DESTABILIZING: Beijing’s efforts to choke Taiwan, pressure its friends and hamper its democracy are a threat to the world, AIT Director Sandra Oudkirk said China’s provocative military activities near Taiwan are destabilizing and risk “miscalculation,” American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk said yesterday, reiterating the US’ objection to any unilateral changes to the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait. Oudkirk made the remarks in a speech at the annual conference of the Association of International Relations in Taipei. “In the Indo-Pacific region, America’s effort to resolve and manage differences with the leadership of the People’s Republic of [PRC] faces distinct challenges,” she said, referencing a range of actions by China that she said run counter to the shared values and interests of the
RSS