Former Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Hung Chi-chang (洪奇昌) yesterday urged Beijing to give the incoming Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government more space, even if president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) does not mention the so-called “1992 consensus” in her inaugural address on Friday next week.
“During the presidential campaign last year, Tsai said that maintaining the ‘status quo’ is her main guideline for handling cross-strait relations and that after her election, she said that she would push for cross-strait exchanges based on the historical fact of the 1992 cross-strait meeting,” Hung said during an interview on POP Radio. “Is that not just expressing the ‘1992 consensus’ and ‘one China, with each side having its own interpretation’ in another way? Maybe the words ‘1992 consensus’ are not said, but the spirit and understanding of the ‘1992 consensus’ is there.”
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Tsai has also said that she would handle cross-strait issues based on the Republic of China Constitution, Hung said.
“I think this is already very close to what the ‘1992 consensus’ is all about,” he said, urging Beijing to allow more flexibility.
However, Hung said that China is increasing pressure on the incoming government in terms of cross-strait and international relations.
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