Following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) call for unification during the opening of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 19th National Congress yesterday, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) reiterated that Taiwan is an independent, sovereign nation whose future can be decided only by its people.
The so-called “1992 consensus” and the “one China” principle are the basis of cross-strait relations, Xi said in a formal report delivered to the congress, calling for peaceful unification and opposition to Taiwanese independence and separatism.
“The Republic of China is an independent, sovereign state and its future should be decided by its 23 million citizens through democratic means,” DPP spokesman Chang Chih-hao (張志豪) said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
It is the DPP’s responsibility to protect national sovereignty and maintain freedom and democracy, which is the firm belief of Taiwanese in dealing with cross-strait relations, and Beijing should fully understand and respect this belief, he said.
“The two sides of the Taiwan Strait should not return to a confrontational relationship, and they should not allow politics to obstruct an honest dialogue,” Chang said.
“It is the shared goal and responsibility of Taiwan and China to maintain peaceful cross-strait development, which is critical not only to the well-being of Taiwanese and Chinese, but also to regional stability and security,” he added.
While the two sides diverge politically, they should seek communication and dialogue to build up a new model of interaction to reconcile the differences, Chang said, echoing President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) repeated calls for a new cross-strait relationship.
DPP Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟), director of the DPP’s China affairs department, said Xi rehashed all existing elements of China’s cross-strait policies, including the “1992 consensus,” the “one China” principle, opposition to Taiwanese independence and the promotion of unification, but there was no apparent hostility.
Xi did not propose a more aggressive agenda that some had feared would be introduced as Beijing’s policy toward Taiwan, such as a “unification timetable” or a proposal to achieve unification through military means, Chao said.
Some of Xi’s rhetoric was noticeably warmer, such as his acknowledgement of Taiwan’s existing social system and calls for cross-strait exchanges, he added.
“While the challenges are to be formidable, there is room for cooperation. Active efforts are needed to build a new model of cross-strait interaction as President Tsai has called for,” he said.
The obstacles to building such a model are largely the result of ongoing restructuring of the CCP’s power structure, which will stabilize following the congress, Chao said, adding that Beijing is expected to interact with Taipei in a more predictable manner while mutual trust is gradually built up.
The two sides could begin to build this new model of interaction by engaging through think tanks before a formal dialogue, he added.
The so-called “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the CCP that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” which each said having its own interpretation of what “China” means. Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted to making up the term in 2000.
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