The term “1992 consensus” was non-existent until 2000, when then-Mainland Affairs Commission chairman Su Chi (蘇起) first used it, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond Burghardt said.
Burghardt made the remarks in an interview with Voice of America in Washington on Wednesday when he was asked about the historical background of the so-called “1992 consensus,” as he was formerly the US consul-general in Shanghai.
“I think everyone in China knows, the term ‘1992 consensus’ was not used by anyone until 2001, no, 2000; Su Chi, [former] president Ma Jing-jeou’s [馬英九] first National Security Council adviser, was the first person to use that term to describe the understanding that had been reached in 1992. Before that, I mean, in all the time I met with [then-Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) chairman] Wang Daohan (汪道涵) or with [then-Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman] Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫), they never called it that, never called it the ‘1992 consensus,’ because the name didn’t exist. Koo would sometimes just call it the ‘1992 understanding,’” he said.
Photo provided by Taipei Photojournalists Association
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
In 2006, Su, then a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, admitted he made up the term “1992 consensus” in 2000, before the KMT handed power to the Democratic Progressive Party.
Meanwhile, responding to the question of whether President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was muddying the water when she did not explicitly recognize or deny the “1992 consensus” or the “one China” principle in her inauguration address, Burghardt said Tsai has displayed flexibility in dealing with cross-strait relations and it is important for both China and Taiwan to continue to communicate.
He also said it is important for both sides to “create a certain amount of ambiguity,” adding that there was a lot of ambiguity in the understanding reached between the Ma administration and China.
Burghardt said this is an important period for both Beijing and Taipei to carefully watch each other’s actions and statements.
However, he also said it is very important for both sides to “keep an open mind” and maintain communication.
Burghardt said that one of the things the US prized very much after Ma took office in May 2008 was the “restoration of regular communication across the Strait.”
He said that if both sides can talk to each other, miscommunication, misunderstanding and miscalculation “can all be avoided.”
Asked whether cross-strait relations are not as warm as during the Ma administration, Burghardt said that “it is unfortunate that Beijing decided to discontinue or suspend talks” between the two sides recently.
He expressed hope that Beijing can understand the importance of cross-strait communication and will want to continue, as “nothing is going to be fixed without continued communication.”
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
TIT-FOR-TAT: The US allegedly revoked the visa of a Chinese national working at Xinhua News Agency in the US in response to Beijing’s expulsion of Vivian Wang The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China for expelling a New York Times correspondent from Beijing following the newspaper’s interview with President William Lai (賴清德), saying the move highlighted Beijing’s suppression of press freedom and its threat to international news media. Taiwan has noted a series of recent incidents in which Beijing used similar tactics to “threaten and pressure international media outlets and journalists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. “This concerns not only press freedom and freedom of expression, but also the safety of journalists, and Taiwan and relevant partners are paying close attention to the situation,” she
RSS