Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday defended his statement that Taiwanese should not oppose unification, which he said is established by the Constitution.
Ma made the remark during a speech on cross-strait relations at Soochow University’s Chengzhong Campus in Taipei after a participant asked why Ma changed his “three noes” policy that underpinned cross-strait interactions during his eight-year presidency.
The “three noes” refers to Ma’s slogan of “no unification, no independence and no use of force.”
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
He on Nov. 7 revised his stance to “no opposition to unification” in a speech marking the third anniversary of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
“Unification is a goal stipulated in our Constitution, but there is no timetable,” Ma said, adding that the process must be democratic and peaceful.
Ma said that he proposed the idea of “no opposition to unification,” because this was something that might happen, depending on the conditions and timing, and that he wanted to bring the issue to the attention of Taiwanese so that they could decide their own fate amid fluctuating cross-strait ties.
Regarding the so-called “1992 consensus,” Ma said that it is akin to a contract that has served as a political foundation for cross-strait ties.
“If you want to change it, it will need the consent of the other party. Otherwise it could jeopardize mutual trust across the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
Ma said the “consensus” was not fabricated by former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起), but rather proposed by the Straits Exchange Foundation under the guidance of then-president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) in November 1992 and accepted by the Chinese Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits.
The “1992 consensus” — a term Su in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Beijing that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Beijing has never publicly endorsed the existence of the “different interpretations” element.
Ma also questioned President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) policy of maintaining the cross-strait “status quo,” which Tsai said would remain unchanged, despite the Democratic Progressive Party’s losses in the Nov. 24 elections.
“Which ‘status quo’ is she referring to? The one under my administration or that under the administration of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁)?” Ma asked, adding that Chen’s lacked the “1992 consensus.”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
RSS