Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗) yesterday said that Chinese state media had taken a phrase from the so-called “1992 consensus” out of context, after a state-run newspaper published an article on Saturday saying there could be no other interpretation of “China.”
The “1992 consensus” — a term that 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 (CCP) that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The Ren Min Zheng Xie Bao, to mark the 30th anniversary of the Hong Kong talks — where the consensus was supposedly reached between representatives of Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits — on Saturday said that some senior members of the KMT in the past few years had sought to change the meaning of the term “1992 consensus.”
Photo: Reuters
The “1992 consensus” and “one China with different interpretations” both exist, Tseng said, adding that the KMT refused to accept singling out either part of the consensus, and neither would Taiwanese.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said that Beijing’s stance was “a real slap in the KMT’s face.”
The KMT insists on the existence of the consensus, trying to deceive Taiwanese into thinking that the two sides of the Strait have their own interpretations of what “China” means, he said.
However, Beijing considers maintaining the “status quo” by using the names “Republic of China” or “Taiwan” as advocating for Taiwanese independence, he said.
For Beijing, there is only one China and one interpretation of it, he added.
Chinese media are bound by law to serve the CCP’s interests, and the article would have been reviewed by the Publicity Department of the CCP, he said.
China’s recent moves have made its ambition to annex Taiwan increasingly clear, while also showing that it does not care for the KMT, he said.
If KMT members “still have brains and a conscience,” they should accept that Taiwanese are facing China’s threats, he said.
“Only by protecting Taiwan can we resist China” and protect Taiwan’s democracy, freedom and economy, he added.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting
RSS