Taiwan is willing to return to the negotiating table and talk with Chinese negotiators using the "1992 meeting" as a basis as described by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in his 2004 second-term inaugural address, a legislative whip of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
Lai Ching-teh (
However, Lai noted, dealings that involve the exercise of public authority, such as customs tariffs and quarantine, necessitate parties from both sides to send their officials to "sit and talk" before the results of any such exchanges can be implemented.
Lai called for the Beijing leadership to show genuine goodwill toward Taiwan instead of playing a two-handed game in its "united front" scheme.
Lai was speaking in response to remarks made earlier yesterday by Li Weiyi (李維一), spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office under Beijing's State Council, who said that China will actively push for closer media exchanges across the Strait, expand imports of Taiwan's farm products and will welcome delegates from Taiwan's agriculture sector who wish to go to China for talks on sales.
Li also said that China welcomes representatives of Taiwan's political parties and private organizations to come to China for talks who recognize the "1992 consensus" -- a consensus reached by Taiwan and Chinese negotiators in a meeting held in Hong Kong in 1992.
At the meeting, both sides agreed orally that there is only one China and that both sides can have their own interpretation of that "one China" -- and those who are firmly opposed to Taiwan's independence.
Commenting on Li's remarks, Lai said that there was no "1992 consensus" since it was a mythical term invented by officials from the former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration in charge of China policy and that the KMT had never reached any consensus with Chinese officials in 1992.
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