Accepting the so-called “1992 consensus” is equivalent to abandoning the sovereignty of Taiwan, Vice President and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate William Lai (賴清德) said while campaigning in Kaohsiung yesterday.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
“Sovereignty is like ownership of the property. You can protect the property only if you have the ownership. Without sovereignty, you lose land deeds, property ownership, democracy and human rights,” Lai said.
Photo: Hsu Li-chuan, Taipei Times
“Taiwan is an independent nation, with sovereignty belonging to the 23.5 million people who live there. It does not belong to China or other nations,” he said.
Signing a peace agreement with China, as some people have proposed, would not achieve real peace, Lai said.
“If a peace agreement works, Tibet would be a different place. Opposition parties proposed that we accept the ‘1992 consensus,’ which maintains the ‘one China’ principle and would lead to ‘one country, two systems.’ Accepting the ‘1992 consensus’ means giving up Taiwan’s sovereignty and losing freedom and democracy,” Lai said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The problem in the Taiwan Strait is not a continuation of the Chinese Civil War, nor is it merely a problem between Taiwan and China, Lai said.
“This is a problem that the world has to deal with. We need to jointly protect Taiwan by forming alliances with other democratic countries,” he said. “We must not be afraid because China is intensifying its threat against Taiwan.
The government would be willing to talk to China if Beijing treats Taiwan with respect and dignity, he added.
Separately yesterday, New Taipei City Mayor and KMT presidential candidate Hou You-yi (侯友宜) told supporters that January’s presidential election is “a choice between peace and war” and pledged to keep the Taiwan Strait peaceful and safe.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made the world worry that a war could break out in the Taiwan Strait, Hou said, adding that the US’ support of Taiwan shows the international community is concerned about the safety of Taiwan.
The DPP would push Taiwan to the brink of a war once it is elected to govern the country again, Hou said, adding that he would investigate all the scandals that happened under the DPP government once he is elected president.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to