Sat, Jul 04, 2015 page3

• Tsai’s policy similar to mine, Ma says

  ‘FUNDAMENTAL BASIS’: Ma said he had maintained the ‘status quo’ by renouncing independence and affirming the ‘1992 consensus,’ and he urged Tsai to do the same

  • By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff reporter
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  President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has proposed a cross-strait policy “similar” to that which he has adopted, except that she has rejected the two elements most critical to maintaining the “status quo.”

  Without Tsai pledging “no independence” and accepting “one China, different interpretations,” it is questionable whether she would be able to maintain the “status quo” as she has pledged, Ma said during an interview with Chinese Television System that aired on Tuesday and last night.

  Ma said that the “status quo” of cross-strait relations is different from what it was seven years ago, before he came to office with the policy of “no unification, no independence and no use of force,” in line with the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution and the so-called “1992 consensus,” under which both Taiwan and China agree there is one China, with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.

  

  Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen speaks at a press conference yesterday in Taipei about an all-encompassing election campaign that is to include music, talk shows and videos to inspire hope and Taiwanese awareness.

  Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times

  Of the elements that contributed to the “status quo,” “no independence” and “one China, different interpretations” are the two most important, Ma said.

  “Although the other side [China] is not 100 percent satisfied with [my policy] it is acceptable to them. The cross-strait relationship is now much deeper. It is because they [China] believe that we will abide by those principles,” Ma said.

  Ma went over what Tsai said in a speech during her visit to the US early last month, when she said she would maintain a stable and peaceful “status quo” in accordance with the ROC Constitution, saying that “there are indeed many similarities” between his cross-strait policy and Tsai’s.

  According to the transcript of Tsai’s speech, she said she would push for the peaceful and stable development of cross-strait relations in accordance with the will of Taiwanese and the existing ROC constitutional order.

  Ma said that his administration’s success in creating the cross-strait “status quo” that has freed the concerned parties from concerns over the possibility of a cross-strait conflict, despite various irritants, and brought more prosperity, is contingent on the two elements, which he termed as its “fundamental political basis.”

  Tsai would probably be fine with making pledges of “no unification” and “no use of war,” but “would she be willing to declare ‘no independence?’” Ma said.

  “Furthermore, she has rejected the ‘1992 consensus’ and even denied its existence,” the president said.

  Ma said he would like to see Tsai incorporate the elements in her cross-strait policy.

  “We would not consider it an infringement of our intellectual property rights,” he said.

  When Tsai was yesterday asked by reporters to respond to Ma’s comments on the “similarities” of her policy of maintaining the “status quo” and his policy, she sighed and refused to answer the question directly.

  The question should be addressed to Ma because she did not know what he meant, Tsai said.
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