Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗) yesterday said that Chinese state media had taken a phrase from the so-called “1992 consensus” out of context, after a state-run newspaper published an article on Saturday saying there could be no other interpretation of “China.”
The “1992 consensus” — a term that former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — 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.
The Ren Min Zheng Xie Bao, to mark the 30th anniversary of the Hong Kong talks — where the consensus was supposedly reached between representatives of Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits — on Saturday said that some senior members of the KMT in the past few years had sought to change the meaning of the term “1992 consensus.”
Photo: Reuters
The “1992 consensus” and “one China with different interpretations” both exist, Tseng said, adding that the KMT refused to accept singling out either part of the consensus, and neither would Taiwanese.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said that Beijing’s stance was “a real slap in the KMT’s face.”
The KMT insists on the existence of the consensus, trying to deceive Taiwanese into thinking that the two sides of the Strait have their own interpretations of what “China” means, he said.
However, Beijing considers maintaining the “status quo” by using the names “Republic of China” or “Taiwan” as advocating for Taiwanese independence, he said.
For Beijing, there is only one China and one interpretation of it, he added.
Chinese media are bound by law to serve the CCP’s interests, and the article would have been reviewed by the Publicity Department of the CCP, he said.
China’s recent moves have made its ambition to annex Taiwan increasingly clear, while also showing that it does not care for the KMT, he said.
If KMT members “still have brains and a conscience,” they should accept that Taiwanese are facing China’s threats, he said.
“Only by protecting Taiwan can we resist China” and protect Taiwan’s democracy, freedom and economy, he added.
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
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,