President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of being “impractical” for denying the existence of the so-called “1992 consensus,” saying the term was key to cross-strait negotiations.
While former National Security Council secretary-general Su Chi (蘇起) has admitted he coined the term in 2000, Ma yesterday said “he remembered” that the media began using it in 1992.
Without the consensus, Ma said late Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫) would not have met his Chinese counterpart, former Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) chairman Wang Daohan (汪道涵), in Singapore in 1993.
“Nor would Beijing have wanted to resume high-level talks with us,” he said.
“The DPP can oppose the ‘1992 consensus,’ but it cannot deny its existence because it is impractical and removed from the facts” he told a gathering of reporters at Taipei Guest House.
Asked to comment on a remark by DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday that it was hard for her to recognize the so-called “1992 consensus” as it did not exist, Ma said the DPP had declined to recognize the existence of the consensus for a long time, which contributed to the limited progress it made in improving cross-strait ties during the eight years it was in power.
About one month into his first term, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said he would acknowledge the consensus if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) did the same, Ma said.
Still, Tsai, who was Mainland Affairs Council minister at the time, continues to deny this, he said.
In March 2006, Ma said Chen told him he would “respect” the consensus if China also recognized its existence after he and the former president had a two-hour debate.
“It is clear that the ‘1992 consensus’ exists in the eyes of the KMT [Chinese Nationalist Party] and the CCP,” Ma said.
Although they have different interpretations of “one China,” their definitions carry the “same significance,” he said.
“In other words, both sides agree they reached a consensus in 1992,” he said, adding that his administration’s acceptance of the consensus strengthened China’s willingness to resume cross-strait talks and improve relations.
Ma said that while he was not seeking to embarrass the DPP, he was curious to know how the DPP, if it returned to power, could honor its promise to continue the KMT’s policy if it denied the existence of the consensus.
On cross-strait talks, Ma said they did not necessarily have to be held twice a year and that the scheduling should be more flexible.
He also denied it was time for both sides to tackle more difficult, non-economic issues, saying more urgent issues of an economic nature had yet to be addressed.
Meanwhile, Ma, who doubles as KMT chairman, sought to distance himself from the controversy surrounding maverick party city councilors who failed to vote for party nominees for council speakers and deputy speakers on Saturday, saying he would respect the decision of the party’s local chapters.
DEATH THREAT: A MAC official said that it has urged Beijing to avoid creating barriers that would impede exchanges across the Strait, but it continues to do so People should avoid unnecessary travel to China after Beijing issued 22 guidelines allowing its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death “Taiwan independence separatists,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it raised its travel alert for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to “orange.” The guidelines published last week “severely threaten the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei. “Following a comprehensive assessment, the government considers it necessary to elevate the travel alert to orange from yellow,” Liang said. Beijing has
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military