Reiterating the importance of the so-called “1992 consensus” and anti-independence efforts as the foundation of cross-strait cooperation, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday said he hoped that both sides of the Taiwan Strait can go from “feeling as close as one family” (一家親) to “becoming actual family members” (一家人).
Hau made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 10th annual Straits Forum in Xiamen, China.
The forum aims to boost private-sector exchanges across the Taiwan Strait and is this year focused on four areas: youth, grassroots, cultural and economic exchanges.
Photo: CNA
Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Yang (汪洋) attended the forum after meeting with Hau earlier in the day.
“The predecessor to the Straits Forum was the Forum on the Economic Zone on the Western Coast of the Taiwan Straits, which began 13 years ago amid tumultuous cross-strait relations and in response to the desire of people on both sides for peace and interactions,” Hau said in his address.
Thanks to the KMT’s unwavering adherence to the “1992 consensus” and opposition to Taiwanese independence, cross-strait relations improved during the party’s eight years in office from 2008 to 2016, including the launch of regular cross-strait passenger flights in 2009, the deepening of people-to-people interactions and the signing of 23 cross-strait accords, he said.
“However, due to reasons we are all aware of, the situation across the Taiwan Strait has become unstable and the achievements accumulated over the years are at stake,” Hau said, citing as an example the decline in the number of Chinese tourists to Taiwan from 3.98 million in 2015 to 2.73 million last year.
Beijing and the KMT have blamed the deteriorating relations on President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) refusal to acknowledge the “1992 consensus,” which refers to a tacit understanding between the 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.
Beijing has not acknowledged the “different interpretations” part and has only mentioned the “one China” element in its references to the “1992 consensus.”
Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted that he made up the term in 2000.
Due to the perceived disparity between the KMT’s and Beijing’s definition of the “1992 consensus,” Hau’s remarks at the forum and at his meeting with Wang were closely watched.
As widely expected, he did not bring up the “different interpretations” component, despite mentioning the “1992 consensus” a total of five times in the two speeches.
In light of the current cross-strait stalemate, the KMT and the CCP should continue their partnership based on the “1992 consensus” and shared opposition to Taiwanese independence, while ensuring that the agreements signed by both sides continue to be observed, Hau said.
“[These agreements] are solemn promises made by both sides of the Taiwan Strait to their people. They are also indispensable preconditions for Beijing’s 31 incentives designed to promote cross-strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation to really have an effect,” Hau said.
He also expressed his hope that both sides, given their similar language and ethnicity, could evolve into actual family members.
Hau led a delegation of KMT members, lawmakers and academics who departed for China on Monday and are scheduled to return to Taiwan tonight.
Wang said at the forum that the “one China” principle is the “political foundation of cross-strait relations” and that the “1992 consensus” is the key to ensuring peace across the Taiwan Strait.
“Since 2016, the Democratic Progressive Party has allowed certain people to carry out a series of measures aimed at desinicization and has thwarted cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, while a small number of Taiwanese independence advocates have tried to prevent the development of a peaceful cross-strait relationship,” Wang said, adding that this has led to a standoff between the two sides.
Taiwanese independence advocates and their campaigns are a threat to China’s sovereignty and peace across the Taiwan Strait, he said, adding that they must be opposed.
“Any attempt to challenge the ‘one China’ principle and any trick and measure performed in the hope of realizing independence are doomed to fail,” he said.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua
GEARING UP: An invasion would be difficult and would strain China’s forces, but it has conducted large-scale training supporting an invasion scenario, the report said China increased its military pressure on Taiwan last year and took other steps in preparation for a potential invasion, an annual report published by the US Department of Defense on Wednesday showed. “Throughout 2023, Beijing continued to erode longstanding norms in and around Taiwan by employing a range of pressure tactics against Taiwan,” the report said, which is titled “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 2024.” The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “is preparing for a contingency to unify Taiwan with the PRC by force, if perceived as necessary by Beijing, while simultaneously deterring, delaying or denying
PEACEFUL RESOLUTION: A statement issued following a meeting between Australia and Britain reiterated support for Taiwan and opposition to change in the Taiwan Strait Canada should support the peaceful resolution of Taiwan’s destiny according to the will of Taiwanese, Canadian lawmakers said in a resolution marking the second anniversary of that nation’s Indo-Pacific strategy on Monday. The Canadian House of Commons committee on Canada-Chinese relations made the comment as part of 34 recommendations for the new edition of the strategy, adding that Ottawa should back Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, first published in October 2022, emphasized that the region’s security, trade, human rights, democracy and environmental protection would play a crucial role in shaping Canada’s future. The strategy called for Canada to deepen
TECH CONFERENCE: Input from industry and academic experts can contribute to future policymaking across government agencies, President William Lai said Multifunctional service robots could be the next new area in which Taiwan could play a significant role, given its strengths in chip manufacturing and software design, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) chairman and chief executive C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said yesterday. “In the past two months, our customers shared a lot of their future plans with me. Artificial intelligence [AI] and AI applications were the most talked about subjects in our conversation,” Wei said in a speech at the National Science and Technology Conference in Taipei. TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, counts Nvidia Corp, Advanced Micro Devices Inc, Apple Inc and
LEAP FORWARD: The new tanks are ‘decades more advanced than’ the army’s current fleet and would enable it to compete with China’s tanks, a source said A shipment of 38 US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks — part of a military procurement package from the US — arrived at the Port of Taipei early yesterday. The vehicles are the first batch of 108 tanks and other items that then-US president Donald Trump announced for Taiwan in 2019. The Ministry of National Defense at the time allocated NT$40.5 billion (US$1.25 billion) for the purchase. To accommodate the arrival of the tanks, the port suspended the use of all terminals and storage area machinery from 6pm last night until 7am this morning. The tanks are expected to be deployed at the army’s training