New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) and China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Liu Jieyi (劉結一) yesterday reiterated the so-called “1992 consensus” as a basis for cross-strait relations as they met in Shanghai.
Chu is the first Taiwanese politician to meet Liu since the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Central Committee announced the former UN ambassador’s appointment earlier this month.
Insistence on the “1992 consensus” has been the consistent position of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Chu said.
Photo courtesy of New Taipei City Government
Even though the KMT is now the opposition party, this stance would not change, and it hopes that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can engage in peaceful exchanges and achieve win-win cooperation, Chu said.
Although the political circumstances have changed, what people hope for most is peace, he said.
Local-level exchanges must also continue, as the two sides could learn about city governance from each other, he said.
Beijing insists on the “1992 consensus,” which reflects the “one China” principle and opposes Taiwanese independence schemes in any form, Liu said.
“The mainland’s policies toward Taiwan are to continue to uphold the ‘two sides of the Strait, one family’ ideology,” he said.
China hopes the two sides can work together for the peaceful development of relations and “jointly promote the process of the peaceful reunification of the motherland,” Chinese state media quoted Liu telling Chu.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) said in 2006 that he had made up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that the two sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
In Taipei, the Mainland Affairs Council said the government holds a positive attitude toward city-level cross-strait exchanges, but they must be handled according to relevant guidelines.
Attention must be paid to reciprocal respect, while issues pertaining to public power fall within the authority of the central government and no agreements are to be signed, it added.
The New Taipei City Government should remember to follow the relevant guidelines when it engages in cross-strait exchanges with other cities, the council said.
China should not set a one-sided political framework to limit cross-strait exchanges, it added.
In related developments, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said several Chinese military aircraft were spotted flying over the Bashi Channel yesterday as part of a long-range flight training mission in the western Pacific.
The aircraft included Su-30s, Shaanxi Y-8 transport planes and Xian H-6 bombers, which all returned to their bases in China on the same route, the ministry said.
It said it had scrambled aircraft to shadow the Chinese planes until they returned to their bases.
The military is maintaining a close watch on Chinese military movements and the necessary measures to ensure national security, the ministry added.
Additional reporting by CNA and Reuters
CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) yesterday released the first video documenting the submerged sea trials of Taiwan’s indigenous defense submarine prototype, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, showing underwater navigation and the launch of countermeasures. The footage shows the vessel’s first dive, steering and control system tests, and the raising and lowering of the periscope and antenna masts. It offered a rare look at the progress in the submarine’s sea acceptance tests. The Hai Kun carried out its first shallow-water diving trial late last month and has since completed four submerged tests, CSBC said. The newly released video compiles images recorded from Jan. 29 to
DETERRENCE EFFORTS: Washington and partners hope demonstrations of force would convince Beijing that military action against Taiwan would carry high costs The US is considering using HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as a forward base to strengthen its naval posture in a potential conflict with China, particularly over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. As part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, Washington plans to deploy up to four nuclear-powered submarines at Stirling starting in 2027, providing a base near potential hot spots such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. The move also aims to enhance military integration with Pacific allies under the Australia-UK-US trilateral security partnership, the report said. Currently, US submarines operate from Guam, but the island could
RESTRAINTS: Should China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, China would be excluded from major financial institutions, the bill says The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which states that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude Beijing from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China must be prepared
Taiwanese trade negotiators told Washington that Taipei would not relocate 40 percent of its semiconductor production to the US, and that its most advanced technologies would remain in the nation, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said on Sunday. “I told the US side very clearly — that’s impossible,” Cheng, who led the negotiation team, said in an interview that aired on Sunday night on Chinese Television System. Cheng was referring to remarks last month by US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, in which he said his goal was to bring 40 percent of Taiwan’s chip supply chain to the US Taiwan’s almost
RSS