The so-called “1992 consensus” has served as a strong foundation for peaceful cross-strait relations and Taiwanese independence “can never work,” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said in a meeting with China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Liu Jieyi (劉結一) yesterday.
The two had a closed-door meeting, followed by a luncheon, at the Seaview Resort in Xiamen, China.
During the meeting, Wang addressed the minister as “Mr Liu” and said he has always believed that “Chinese people are one family sharing the same roots,” a speech transcript provided by his office showed.
Photo courtesy of Wang Jin-pyng’s office
“Taiwanese independence is a red herring and can never work,” because bloodlines and culture cannot be severed, he said.
The majority of Taiwanese, with the exception of Aborigines and new immigrants, have ancestors in China, he said.
“That we share the same bloodline is a historical fact that cannot be altered by our ethnic group, hometown, political affiliation or color,” he said.
His trip to the Wang clan’s ancestral temple in Zhangzhou on Tuesday proved that ancestral connections would remain unaffected by time and politics, he said, adding that tracing one’s cultural roots could contribute to promoting cross-strait peace.
“Over the past 20 years, the 1992 consensus has served as a strong foundation for a peaceful and stable cross-strait relationship,” he said.
“I believe from that basis, we can seek to build a new consensus and create new opportunities for building peaceful cross-strait relations,” he added.
Wang had previously described the purpose of his three-day trip to Xiamen as a visit to his ancestral temple.
Before the meeting, he was originally scheduled to visit the South Putuo Temple, but the plan was canceled early yesterday so that he could meet with Liu.
Wang was received by hundreds of supporters at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) when he returned to Taipei last night.
Asked why he dismissed Taiwanese independence in his meeting with Liu, Wang said he had made similar remarks at the legislature.
“My stance and view have always been consistent, that Taiwanese independence will not work,” he told reporters.
Independence is not a real issue, while pressure from China seeking unification is real and must be dealt with in a responsible, effective and cautious manner, he said.
Asked if he mentioned the Republic of China, as he had said he would if necessary, Wang said he did not, because Liu did not mention the People’s Republic of China.
The “1992 consensus” is a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000. It refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
US climber Alex Honnold is to attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold’s climb, called Skyscraper Live, is to air on Jan. 23 in the US, Netflix said in a statement. Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900m El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park — a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film Free Solo. Netflix previewed Skyscraper Live in October, after videos
Starting on Jan. 1, YouBike riders must have insurance to use the service, and a six-month trial of NT$5 coupons under certain conditions would be implemented to balance bike shortages, a joint statement from transportation departments across Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan announced yesterday. The rental bike system operator said that coupons would be offered to riders to rent bikes from full stations, for riders who take out an electric-assisted bike from a full station, and for riders who return a bike to an empty station. All riders with YouBike accounts are automatically eligible for the program, and each membership account
A classified Pentagon-produced, multiyear assessment — the Overmatch brief — highlighted unreported Chinese capabilities to destroy US military assets and identified US supply chain choke points, painting a disturbing picture of waning US military might, a New York Times editorial published on Monday said. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s comments in November last year that “we lose every time” in Pentagon-conducted war games pitting the US against China further highlighted the uncertainty about the US’ capability to intervene in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. “It shows the Pentagon’s overreliance on expensive, vulnerable weapons as adversaries field cheap, technologically
NUMBERs IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
RSS