President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that it would be impossible to achieve cross-strait peace simply by accepting the so-called “1992 consensus” and Beijing’s “one China” principle.
Lai made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the Overseas Community Affairs Council Conference in Taipei after former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), who favors closer ties with Beijing, was elected as KMT chairwoman on Saturday.
The KMT on Sunday confirmed that Cheng had received a congratulatory message from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for her win and she reiterated her support for the “1992 consensus” in her reply to Xi.
Photo: Screengrab from a video posted on Lai’s Facebook page
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.
Cheng said that she was willing to meet with Xi in China “as long as it helps resolve cross-strait disagreements and promote peaceful cooperation.”
At the conference in Taipei, Lai recognized the contribution of overseas Taiwanese communities to the nation, adding that they are the pride of Taiwan.
The conference, which began on Sunday and runs through today, focuses on whole-of-society defense resilience, with 117 council members and representatives from 34 countries participating
The president also pledged to provide disaster relief subsidies for agricultural losses caused by typhoons in southern and eastern Taiwan.
An 11m-high “super dam” would be constructed around the barrier lake in Hualien County’s Mataian River (馬太鞍溪), he said, adding that the government would continue monitoring a newly formed barrier lake at the Swallow Grotto (燕子口) along the county’s Liwu River (立霧溪).
On economic development, Lai said that GDP growth climbed to 3.2 percent under former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), from 2.8 percent during former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) term.
The stock market also rose to more than 23,000 points from about 8,000 points over the same period, he said.
Economic growth reached 8 percent in the second quarter this year, Lai said, adding that the Asian Development Bank forecast that full-year growth would be 5.31 percent.
That would be an achievement for Taiwan, outperforming South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong, thanks to efforts by companies based in Taiwan and overseas, he said.
Lai said he is following in Tsai’s footsteps by enhancing Taiwan’s defenses in the face of Chinese threats.
“We must aspire to achieve peace, which, however, must not be based on fantasies,” he said.
Peace cannot not be achieved solely through a peace agreement or by accepting conditions imposed by an invader, Lai said.
“Seeking to maintain peace simply by accepting the ‘1992 consensus’ or the ‘one China’ principle is impossible,” he said.
Ma during his term reduced the defense budget annually, while China’s defense budget continued to rise, he said.
To boost Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, Tsai’s administration raised the total defense budget from 1.8 percent to 2.5 percent of GDP, he said.
The target is to raise the ratio to 3.32 percent this year and to 5 percent by 2030, he added.
Defense spending is not just about purchasing foreign weapons, but also bolstering independent defense, Lai said.
Taiwan’s semiconductor, information and communications technology, and electronic component manufacturing sectors can help develop the local defense industry and become a part of the global defense industrial chain, the president said.
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