President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in his final Double Ten National Day speech yesterday expressed concerns about the development of cross-strait relations, saying that any future president should continue to pursue a cross-strait policy based on the so-called “1992 consensus.”
“Without the ‘1992 consensus,’ the maintenance of the ‘status quo’ becomes an empty slogan; an unrealizable goal that does not advance the peaceful development of cross-strait ties,” Ma said in a speech to the crowd gathered in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei to celebrate the 104th birthday of the Republic of China (ROC).
The ceremony included military drills and dances involving hundreds of performers.
Photo: AP
The “1992 consensus” refers to an agreement said to have been reached between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Chinese Communist Party in 1992, stating that there is “one China” with both sides having “different interpretations” of what that means.
Ma also said in the speech that he was “worried” about whether his successor would be able to continue his policy of “maintaining the ‘status quo,’” adding that the “1992 consensus” was the most important pillar of that policy.
“Is it really that hard for a president of the ROC to accept the ‘1992 consensus’ — which was based on the ROC constitution?” he said, adding that whoever was elected as president would be obliged to swear to follow the Constitution.
Photo: AP
Ma’s remarks were interpreted as being directed at Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), whose attendance at yesterday’s ceremony was a first for a DPP chairperson during Ma’s administration.
“I hope that this means that everyone, regardless of their party identifies with and supports the ROC,” Ma said, adding that the attendance of an opposition party leader at this year’s ceremony was “gratifying.”
He said that “maintaining the ‘status quo’” had already become a separate “Taiwan consensus” supported by the leaders of all major parties.
The existence of the “Taiwan consensus” demonstrated that his government’s cross-strait policy over the past seven years had become “mainstream public opinion” and did not aim to “favor China and sell out Taiwan” or “diminish national sovereignty,” he said.
Ma also hailed what he said were the domestic achievements of his administration over the past seven years, saying that he had overseen reductions in income inequality and crime, a strengthening of the social safety net, more investment in renewable energy and undertaken “hard work” on economic policy.
He added that his administration was “open-minded” about Chinese proposals to write sections of history textbooks concerning the Second Sino-Japanese War together.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
‘NATO-PLUS’: ‘Our strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific are facing increasing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party,’ US Representative Rob Wittman said The US House of Representatives on Monday released its version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes US$1.15 billion to support security cooperation with Taiwan. The omnibus act, covering US$1.2 trillion of spending, allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, as well as US$150 million for the replacement of defense articles and reimbursement of defense services provided to Taiwan. The fund allocations were based on the US National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 that was passed by the US Congress last month and authorized up to US$1 billion to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in support of the
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
RSS