The Democratic Progressive Party has never acknowledged the existence of the so-called “1992 consensus” or “one China” consensus, spokesperson Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said yesterday.
Lin was responding to President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) challenge to DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to clearly state if her party acknowledges the “1992 consensus” between Taiwan and China.
If Taiwan does not recognize the consensus, which Ma called a bedrock of the relationship, uncertainty would be created and doubts would arise over cross-strait peace, Ma was quoted as saying by the United Evening News on Thursday.
Lin said that for the DPP, the so-called “1992 consensus” represents a consensus on “one China,” which it has never agreed to. Ma should first explain what he means by the “1992 consensus,” Lin said.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has defined the “1992 consensus” as a tacit agreement between Taipei and Beijing that there is but “one China” whose meaning is open for each side to interpret. The KMT would interpret “one China” as the Republic of China on Taiwan, while Beijing would define it as the People’s Republic of China.
However, former KMT legislator Su Chi (蘇起) admitted in February 2006 that he made up the term in 2000 — when he was head of the Mainland Affairs Council — to break the cross-strait deadlock and alleviate tension.
Lin cited recent examples of Chinese officials addressing Taiwanese officials with Mr, Mrs, or the honorific form of “you,” instead of their official titles, which he said raised doubts about the government’s approach to dealing with China.
While Taiwanese officials call their Chinese counterparts by their official titles, such as “Chairman Chen Yunlin” (陳雲林) of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) could only express regret at Chen addressing her by first name or as “you,” Lin said.
“Why is it that Chinese officials visiting Taiwan do not show their respect to Taiwanese officials and address them by their official titles?” Lin asked. “Is that equality?”
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to