The so-called “1992 consensus” has been abandoned by both the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Beijing, as both are now adhering to the “one China” framework (一中框架), members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) told a forum yesterday.
The closed-door meeting on how the party should deal with the “1992 consensus,” which was widely considered the primary reason behind its loss in the presidential election last year, was the second of nine scheduled forums on major China policy issues the DPP has arranged.
The DPP has never recognized the existence of such a consensus. While both the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) recognized the initiative, they defined it differently, with the KMT interpreting it as “one China, with different interpretations” (一中各表), while Beijing saw the consensus as “a pledge to express each other’s insistence on the ‘one China’ principle.”
Photo: CNA
Most participants in the forum held the same view as the DPP’s official position and tended to agree that the “1992 consensus” has become a non-issue in the face of recent developments, DPP China Affairs Committee spokesperson Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) told a post-forum press briefing.
In recent KMT-CCP meetings, the KMT has echoed Beijing’s “one China” framework of “one country, two regions,” and reaffirmed their anti-Taiwan independence position, Cheng quoted DPP politicians as saying.
Meanwhile, the KMT no longer promotes its “one China, with different interpretations” stance and President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) interpretation of the consensus in his latest message to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has been tilting toward Beijing’s definition, Cheng summed up several participants’ remarks as saying.
“The KMT and the CCP handled the issue [by giving it up] before we were able to handle it,” Cheng said.
However, a different voice from an unusual participant, former National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general Su Chi (蘇起), raised participants’ eyebrows and attention.
Su has admitted he coined the term in April 2000 as an outgoing official of the then-KMT administration for the purpose of facilitating communication and reconciliation between the CCP and the DPP, which was set to take power in May that year.
He has said the consensus was more of a political term and a symbol than a substantial ideology, but it was able to build mutual trust between the KMT and the CCP.
The Ma confidant yesterday advised the DPP to work on building trust with Beijing and try to seek a party consensus on “no independence,” since Taiwanese independence “is now an unrealizable goal for most people.”
“[Taiwan independence] could stay on as an ideal, but the DPP perhaps has to give it up as a policy option,” he said after the forum.
Academia Sinica political scientist Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) argued about the necessity for Taiwan, a “small yet respectable democracy,” to trust the authoritarian regime of Beijing, saying that the key issue was not which party wins Beijing’s trust, but how Taiwan would face a much bigger neighbor with territorial claims and military threats against it as a country, Cheng said.
“Why does Beijing have to be the final judge on Taiwan’s political aspiration and hold the right to set the timetable?” Cheng quoted Hsu as saying.
Separately yesterday, KMT spokesman Yin Wei (殷瑋) defended the “1992 consensus” as the party’s unchanged cross-strait policy, and questioned the DPP over its intention to redefine its cross-strait policy.
“The DPP is looking to find a practicable path on cross-strait policy, but it seems that it is unable to come up with a persuasive consensus in defining cross-strait relations,” he said.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS