Few Taiwanese would fully accept the so-called “1992 consensus” as Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) defined it last week, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.
Xi in a speech on Wednesday last week called for unification under the “one country, two systems” formula and defined the “1992 consensus” as being based on the “one China” principle.
Xi’s definition of the “1992 consensus” contrasted with that provided over the years by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which has maintained that it allows room for Taiwan to interpret “China” as being the Republic of China (ROC).
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Asked about the different definitions of the “1992 consensus,” Ko said: “Then it means that there is no consensus.”
“The mainland recently announced its version of what the ‘1992 consensus’ means, but after Taiwanese learned about it, I think very few people would be willing to fully accept it,” he said.
Asked whether he supports the “four musts” put forward by Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as conditions for cross-strait ties, Ko said his support is not important.
The government should try to act on its proposals and let the public decide whether it supports them, Ko said.
Tsai in a speech said that China must face the reality of the existence of the ROC; must respect the commitment of 23 million Taiwanese to freedom and democracy; and must handle cross-strait differences peacefully, on a basis of equality; and governments or government-authorized agencies must carry out cross-strait negotiations.
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
An essay competition jointly organized by a local writing society and a publisher affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might have contravened the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. “In this case, the partner organization is clearly an agency under the CCP’s Fujian Provincial Committee,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “It also involves bringing Taiwanese students to China with all-expenses-paid arrangements to attend award ceremonies and camps,” Liang said. Those two “characteristics” are typically sufficient
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
Restarting the No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant would take up to 18 months, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said today. Kuo was answering questions during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee, where legislators are considering amendments to the Renewable Energy Development Act (再生能源發展條) amid concerns about the consequences of the Pingtung County reactor’s decommissioning scheduled for May 17. Its decommissioning is to mark the end of Taiwan’s nuclear power production. However, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers have proposed an amendment to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) that would extend the life of existing