The fact that all presidential candidates in next year’s election have formulated cross-strait policies leaning toward those of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration is proof that the president’s policies “have not only worked, but worked well,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Andrew Hsia (夏立言) said yesterday.
Hsia made the remarks in a speech at the 40th annual convention of the Chinese American Academic Professional Society in New York on Saturday evening.
“Given that every candidate in the Jan. 16 presidential election has drawn their cross-strait policies close to those of the current government, it indicates the effectiveness and success of Ma’s promotion of the ‘1992 consensus’ and the principle of ‘one China, with each side having its own interpretations of what the term means,’” Hsia said.
The so-called “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Terming the two principles as the “key codes” to what he described as tremendous breakthroughs in cross-strait relations in the past seven years, Hsia said the core of the “1992 consensus” is insistence on Republic of China (ROC) sovereignty.
“The ‘consensus’ has not only provided a vital basis for a systematic cross-strait negotiation mechanism, but also played a key role in cross-strait peace and stability, won the support of the majority of the public, and helped create a benign cycle between cross-strait ties and [Taiwan’s] foreign relations,” he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and People First Party presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜) have vowed to promote cross-strait stability on the basis of the “1992 consensus.”
Hung made the pledge only after her proposed “one China, common interpretation” triggered an outpouring of criticism and led to her being branded as an advocate of unification.
As for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), she has yet to directly elaborate her views on the concept, but promised to maintain the cross-strait “status quo” if elected.
Ma said during an overseas visit last month that cross-strait relations would remain stable and sound as long as his successor continued to adhere to his oft-stated two principles.
“I dare not to speculate about [the potential consequences] of the next president of Taiwan refusing to do so,” Ma said at the time. His remarks were dismissed as a threat by the DPP.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
An inauguration ceremony was held yesterday for the Danjiang Bridge, the world’s longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, ahead of its official opening to traffic on Tuesday, marking a major milestone after nearly three decades of planning and construction. At the ceremony in New Taipei City attended by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the bridge was hailed as both an engineering landmark and a long-awaited regional transport link connecting Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里)
RSS