Taiwan and China have found a model for peaceful coexistence — namely, the so-called “1992 consensus,” or “one China, different interpretations,” President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said on two separate occasions in Boston on Saturday.
Addressing a banquet in honor of Taiwanese expatriates in the US, Ma said that the concept of the “1992 consensus” was proposed by Taiwan and accepted by China.
Some people have described the policy as a “masterpiece of ambiguity,” he said.
Photo: CNA
Regardless of whether it is ambiguous, the consensus has helped the two sides of the Taiwan Strait set aside their sovereignty disputes and pool their efforts for mutual benefit, Ma said.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
To promote peace, Ma said that since he took office, he has been promoting cross-strait relations, and trade and tourism exchanges have reached their highest point in 66 years.
Exchanges between the two sides are helpful for both sides, the president said, adding that he hopes they can continue exchanges and interactions based on the principle of the “1992 consensus.”
During the banquet, Ma also thanked the Massachusetts State House for its concern over burns victims from the June 27 explosion and fire at the Formosa Fun Coast water park in New Taipei City.
Ma also spoke at a seminar at Harvard University, with students, teachers, as well as US academics familiar with Taiwanese affairs attending.
The president reiterated his administration’s commitment to the “status quo,” his “three noes” policy of “no unification, no independence and no use of force,” and peaceful and prosperous cross-strait relations based on the Republic of China’s Constitution and the “1992 consensus.”
Up to 80 percent of the Taiwanese public supports maintaining the “status quo,” an indication that they hope to maintain peaceful and prosperous cross-strait relations created by his administration over the past seven years, Ma was reported as saying.
New York University School of Law professor Jerome Cohen reportedly proposed that Ma be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his initiatives to resolve disputes in the East and South China seas.
Cohen made his proposal during the question-and-answer session after Ma’s speech, saying that he expects Ma to provide more proactive measures to promote peace on Itu Aba (Taiping Island, 太平島) in the South China Sea, according to a person who attended the seminar.
Itu Aba is the biggest Taiwan-controlled island in the contested and resource-rich South China Sea region, which is claimed either entirely or in part by Taiwan, Brunei, China, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Ma touted the benefits of a fisheries’ agreement signed in 2013 between Taiwan and Japan to address fishing disputes in waters surrounding the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) after his East China Sea peace initiative — which calls for shelving disputes and seeking joint development of resources — was proposed.
Ma said his proposal was based on the idea that “while national sovereignty cannot be divided or compromised, natural resources can be shared,” according to the attendee.
Ma arrived in Boston earlier that day en route to the Caribbean and Central America as part of his 11th overseas visit since assuming office in 2008.
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
An essay competition jointly organized by a local writing society and a publisher affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might have contravened the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. “In this case, the partner organization is clearly an agency under the CCP’s Fujian Provincial Committee,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “It also involves bringing Taiwanese students to China with all-expenses-paid arrangements to attend award ceremonies and camps,” Liang said. Those two “characteristics” are typically sufficient
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
Restarting the No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant would take up to 18 months, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said today. Kuo was answering questions during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee, where legislators are considering amendments to the Renewable Energy Development Act (再生能源發展條) amid concerns about the consequences of the Pingtung County reactor’s decommissioning scheduled for May 17. Its decommissioning is to mark the end of Taiwan’s nuclear power production. However, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers have proposed an amendment to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) that would extend the life of existing