President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he was confident Beijing had the same understanding of the “1992 consensus” as Taipei, adding that each side — both part of the same “Chinese nation” — had its own interpretation of “one China.”
Ma said he made clear in his inaugural address that his administration would maintain the “status quo” through the “three noes” under the framework of the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution and develop cross-strait relations on the basis of the “1992 consensus.”
The “three noes” refer to no discussion of unification with Beijing during Ma’s presidency, no pursuit of, or support for, de jure Taiwanese independence and no use of force to resolve cross-strait disputes.
Ma said the “1992 consensus” was an agreement reached by both sides in 1992 and Taiwan’s understanding was that each side had its own interpretation of what “one China” signifies.
“Recently, some representatives from the mainland Chinese authorities mentioned this consensus when they were here,” Ma said. “I believe their understanding is consistent with ours.”
However, on Feb. 21, 2006, then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Su Chi (蘇起) admitted that he made up the term “1992 consensus” in 2000 when he was Mainland Affairs Council chairman. Su said he invented the term to break the cross-strait deadlock and alleviate tension before the KMT handed over power to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Ma said Taiwan and China had signed 14 agreements over the past two years “as a result of the consensus,” something he said had been a “rare occurrence” over the past 60 years.
“Both sides realize this is a historic juncture and should grasp the opportunity to improve bilateral ties as cross-strait detente is conducive to peace not only across the Taiwan Strait but also in East Asia and the whole world,” he said at the Presidential Office during a meeting with participants in an international forum on the People’s Liberation Army.
Some people recently proposed that Taipei and Beijing consider establishing a confidence-building mechanism (CBM), Ma said, but the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) signed in June was a kind of CBM, because without mutual trust, both sides would not have signed such a complicated trade pact that requires both sides to commit to a long-term relationship.
Ma said his conciliatory approach was intended to ease cross-strait tensions so that Taiwan would have more time to respond to and become more capable of handling crises.
Taiwan must strengthen its defense capabilities, but it cannot afford to engage in an arms race with China, he said.
His administration would continue to purchase defensive weapons from the US that Taiwan cannot produce itself, but military hardware was not the only way to protect Taiwan, he said. This was why his administration has tried so hard to pursue economic and cultural exchanges with China, he said.
His cross-strait policy has -reduced tension across the Taiwan Strait and both sides have developed a certain degree of mutual trust, Ma said, adding that he hoped both sides would find the best solution to cross-strait disputes “under the guidance of Chinese culture” because both peoples are of one “Chinese nation” and all yan huang zisun (descendants of emperors Yan and Huang).
Ma sought to clarify his remarks about one “Chinese nation” later in the day, saying there were three common characteristics to the “Chinese nation”: They have the same ancestors and the same last names, come from the same towns and villages and go to the same schools.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
A crowd of over 200 people gathered outside the Taipei District Court as two sisters indicted for abusing a 1-year-old boy to death attended a preliminary hearing in the case yesterday afternoon. The crowd held up signs and chanted slogans calling for aggravated penalties in child abuse cases and asking for no bail and “capital punishment.” They also held white flowers in memory of the boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), who was allegedly tortured to death by the sisters in December 2023. The boy died four months after being placed in full-time foster care with the
A Taiwanese woman on Sunday was injured by a small piece of masonry that fell from the dome of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican during a visit to the church. The tourist, identified as Hsu Yun-chen (許芸禎), was struck on the forehead while she and her tour group were near Michelangelo’s sculpture Pieta. Hsu was rushed to a hospital, the group’s guide to the church, Fu Jing, said yesterday. Hsu was found not to have serious injuries and was able to continue her tour as scheduled, Fu added. Mathew Lee (李世明), Taiwan’s recently retired ambassador to the Holy See, said he met
The Shanlan Express (山嵐號), or “Mountain Mist Express,” is scheduled to launch on April 19 as part of the centennial celebration of the inauguration of the Taitung Line. The tourism express train was renovated from the Taiwan Railway Corp’s EMU500 commuter trains. It has four carriages and a seating capacity of 60 passengers. Lion Travel is arranging railway tours for the express service. Several news outlets were invited to experience the pilot tour on the new express train service, which is to operate between Hualien Railway Station and Chihshang (池上) Railway Station in Taitung County. It would also be the first tourism service
RSS