President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) repeated lies about the existence of the so-called “1992 consensus” are a “disgrace to Taiwan’s democracy,” former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said yesterday in a press release.
The statement came in response to comments by Ma on Thursday in which he said that the “1992 consensus” was formulated under Lee’s directive during his presidency and that it was in line with the Constitution.
Lee yesterday reiterated that the consensus never existed and said Ma has continued to lie to the public.
“I have said dozens of times publicly that there was no consensus reached in 1992. Late Straits Exchange Foundation [SEF] chairman Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫) said there was no consensus and former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted that he coined the phrase,” Lee’s statement said.
“However, President Ma has continued to advocate the ‘1992 consensus’ and has tried to deceive Taiwanese,” it added. “Does he think that a lie will become the truth if you tell the lie a hundred times? This has caused serious harm and is a disgrace to Taiwan’s democracy.”
Ma on Thursday defended the “1992 consensus,” saying that the consensus was reached on Aug. 1, 1992, during a meeting of the National Unification Commission (NUC) presided over by Lee and that “one China” refers to the Republic of China.
According to Ma, at the NUC meeting Lee defined “one China” as “the People’s Republic of China on the mainland and the Republic of China on Taiwan” and the definition later became the basis of the principle “one China, with different interpretations.”
“History can not be fabricated and altered, and only a tyrant would fabricate historical facts,” Lee said in the statement yesterday, adding that Ma should not lie because Lee is still alive to refute the lies.
Beijing defines the “1992 consensus” as “one China” only, the former president added, while Ma defined the consensus as “one China, with different interpretations.”
Ma’s re-election office yesterday dismissed Lee’s criticism and insisted on the existence of the “1992 consensus.”
Ma’s campaign spokesperson Lee Chia-fei (李佳霏) said Ma has clearly said the consensus was based on the 1992 NUC meeting.
“The president’s remarks are based on facts and historical facts won’t change because politicians’ change their stance,” she said.
Ma said that Lee presided over the meeting in preparation for cross-strait negotiations between the SEF and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) in October 1992 in Hong Kong and, despite the fact that no concrete results were reached during the negotiations, the SEF and ARATS agreed that each side could have its own interpretation of “one China.”
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS