Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Tien Hung-mao (田弘茂) yesterday said he would like to invite China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chairman Chen Deming (陳德銘) for talks at an opportune time, preferably on Kinmen.
Tien made the remark at the foundation’s end of the Lunar Year media luncheon in Taipei, saying that Beijing should seriously consider his proposal.
There has been a high level of “attention and even anxiety from some quarters” with the current state of cross-strait relations, which had “undeniably showed signs of retrograde development” since the transition of government in Taiwan, with Beijing rejecting proposals to “smooth relations,” Tien said.
Photo: CNA
US president-elect Donald Trump’s policies might prove influential in the international community and complicate cross-strait relations, Tien added.
While Taiwan must respond to changing conditions prudently, the overall situation is not as severe as some had feared, Tien said.
“Looking back on our experience over the past 20 years, one could say the situation across the Taiwan Strait was often more severe than what is found currently and they were certainly more difficult to deal with. As interactions accumulate, cross-strait relations had became more complex and diversified, the foundation’s commitment and crucial role in negotiation, exchange and service have not changed,” he said.
“We continue to assert the principles of no political preconditions, mutual respect and openness to innovation as the basis of talks with Beijing, while showing goodwill and creating a friendly environment for communication,” he said, adding that the government wants exchanges with China by previously established institutions to “return to normal.”
“I understand that Chen has visited Taiwan three times, but had never set foot on Kinmen. If it proves opportune, I look forward to meeting him there. Kinmen is a good place to start meeting. I hope Beijing will take this proposal seriously,” Tien said.
When asked to comment on China’s insistence on the “one China” principle, Tien said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) had on multiple occasions made clear statements regarding the government’s position and her remarks are the basis for the future conduct of cross-strait relations.
Tien declined to elaborate on Tsai’s position on the so-called “1992 consensus,” saying: “I believe the Presidential Office is the only appropriate authority to comment on such issues.”
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
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