Several members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Reform Committee’s youth participation task force yesterday voiced their support for recommendations made by the committee’s cross-strait narrative task force and said they were not abandoning the “1992 consensus.”
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The KMT’s reform committee, of which KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) is the general convener, is divided into four task forces focused on cross-strait narrative, organizational reform, youth participation and financial stability.
Photo: CNA
On Friday last week, the groups held their first joint meeting, during which the cross-strait narrative task force proposed “four pillars”: insisting on the sovereignty of the Republic of China (ROC); safeguarding freedom, democracy and human rights; prioritizing the safeguarding of Taiwan’s security; and creating a win-win situation and “shared prosperity.”
Speaking outside the KMT headquarters in Taipei yesterday, Taichung City Councilor Lo Ting-wei (羅廷瑋), a member of the youth participation task force, said that while some people who rely on history for a “sense of presence” might feel that their contributions are being erased, the committee was not erasing the “1992 consensus,” but rather hoped to add to the KMT’s narrative.
Lin Hsing-er (林杏兒), head of the KMT Department of National Youth Affairs and a member of the youth participation task force, said that young people are unfamiliar with the “1992 consensus.”
She compared the “consensus” to a point-and-shoot camera, saying it was no longer “in fashion.”
The KMT has never removed the “consensus” from its discourse, she said, but it should be repackaged into something that young people can understand.
Another member of the youth participation task force, Taipei City Councilor Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯), said that while some people question whether the KMT’s cross-strait narrative is moving closer to that of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the reverse was true.
She said that the KMT should place its focus not on whether or not it wants the “1992 consensus,” but rather on the challenges the “consensus” faces and supervision of the ruling DPP.
Members of the youth participation task force also expressed their support for fellow member Kaohsiung City Councilor Jane Lee (李眉蓁), who on Tuesday was named the party’s candidate in the Kaohsiung mayoral by-election to be held on Aug. 15.
In related developments, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday on Facebook called on President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to acknowledge the “1992 consensus” to prevent the two sides of the Taiwan Strait from going to war.
Ma also called on Chinese authorities to stop menacing Taiwan with force.
Additional reporting by CNA
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from