A senior Chinese official responsible for Taiwan affairs yesterday reiterated Beijing’s insistence that the so-called “1992 consensus” is an important anchor for cross-strait peace and stability.
Over the past eight years, cross-strait relations have developed peacefully mainly because both sides established a common political foundation by “sticking to the 1992 consensus and opposing Taiwanese independence,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) said.
The importance of the “1992 consensus” lies in the fact that it answers a fundamental question, that “the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are one country, rather than two,” Zhang said during a meeting with a Taiwanese delegation led by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Chen Chen-hsiang (陳鎮湘).
“Precedent has shown that sticking to such a political foundation allows continued healthy development of cross-strait ties,” Zhang said.
“Damaging the foundation will damage the fruit of peaceful development in cross-strait ties, leading to endless problems across the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party was sworn in, relations between the two sides have cooled, appaarently because she has refused to heed Beijing’s calls to accept the “1992 consensus” as the political foundation for cross-strait exchanges.
Zhang said Beijing has noticed that “some pro-Taiwanese independence forces are inciting hostility and confrontation between the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, severely worsening the atmosphere of cross-strait relations and affecting the peaceful development of cross-strait ties.”
However, despite the setbacks and risks in cross-strait relations, there is still hope, he said, without elaborating.
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