Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday reiterated his support for the so-called “1992 consensus” at a meeting with China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Liu Jieyi (劉結一) in Shenzhen, China.
Although he had expressed his support for the “1992 consensus” prior to last year’s elections, he found it important to reiterate it due to its importance, Han said.
The “1992 consensus” is the “magical needle that stabilizes the sea,” Han told Liu, alluding to a tale in Journey to the West (西遊記).
Photo: CNA
With the “1992 consensus,” cross-strait relations, be they cultural, economical, sports or other aspects, would run smoothly, he added.
Liu praised Han for his work as mayor, saying he has brought them concrete benefits.
The results are a reflection of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait being part of one family and looking out for each other, he added.
Meanwhile, Han’s meeting on Friday with Wang Zhimin (王志民), director of China’s liaison office in Hong Kong, suggests that he approves of the “one country, two systems” framework, New Power Party Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) told a news conference at the party’s caucus office in Taipei.
“A visit to the Chinese Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region means only one thing, that he approves of the ‘one country, two systems’ framework and the despicable things it has done to Hong Kong,” Lim said, adding that it might even suggest possibly accepting Hong Kong as a model for Taiwan.
The liaison office is responsible for undermining Hong Kong’s freedom, democracy and economic autonomy under the “one country, two systems” framework, Lim said.
He urged the Mainland Affairs Council to look into Han’s meeting with Wang and tighten its screening of officials’ cross-strait exchanges.
The council is aware of Han’s meeting with officials from the Chinese Liaison Office and would pay attention to the issue, council representative Tu Chia-fang (杜嘉芬) told Lim’s news conference.
Given that the issue is highly sensitive, the council has urged the Kaohsiung City Government to offer an explanation to the public as soon as possible, she said.
By visiting the office without notifying the council, Han might have contravened Article 33-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), which bans Taiwanese from collaborating with Chinese government institutions or officials on political matters, she said.
“To determine that, the council must first understand whether there were concrete acts of collaboration between Han and the office, among other things,” she said.
The Kaohsiung City Council’s KMT caucus yesterday said that Han had not colluded with Beijing during his visit to China and he was not stumping for its “one country, two systems” formula.
Hong Kong media and the Democratic Progressive Party’s criticism of Han are politically motivated and groundless, and Han should not be sabotaged or slandered for trying to improve the city’s economic future, the caucus statement said.
“The only thing Kaohsiung residents need is the economy, not meaningless political posturing,” KMT council caucus convener Tseng Chun-chieh (曾俊傑) said.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Additional reporting by Wang Jung-hsiang
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