Hon Hai Precision Industry Co chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) yesterday said that if elected president, he would seek to expand Taiwan’s international space by advocating the so-called “1992 consensus” based on “one China, with each side having its own interpretation of what that means.”
“My stance has always been that, without the ‘each side having its own interpretation of what China means,’ there would be no 1992 consensus,” he told reporters at Taipei Flower Market, before shopping for Mother’s Day flowers for his mother and wife.
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
“I would only accept the 1992 consensus on the condition that each side has its own interpretation of what China means,” he said.
While many have criticized him for saying that Taiwan is a part of China, what he meant by “China” was the “two Chinas” implied in “each side having its own interpretation” — namely “the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China,” he said.
The reason Beijing has blocked Taiwan’s participation at the World Health Assembly (WHA) is because the government does not accept the “1992 consensus,” he said.
If elected, he would seek to improve Taiwan’s participation at international organizations by advocating a “1992 consensus” inclusive of “one China, each side having its own interpretation of what that means,” he said.
He urged Beijing to allow Taiwan to take part at the WHA at least as an observer, as it did when Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was president.
Asked about his view on international trade, he said that Taiwan needs to establish free-trade zones to promote its highly competitive machine tools, semiconductors and software.
“It would create opportunities, not a crisis,” he said, adding that a focus on defenses would lead to inaction.
He also hopes to help the nation sign a free-trade agreement with the US, he said, adding: “I am the most capable of achieving that, as I have the most experience at doing it.”
Asked about a planned meeting with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) on Monday next week, Gou said he would share his view on “what would make a fair and transparent primary.”
He would insist that the party hold a debate at which the KMT’s presidential hopefuls could share their platforms on cross-strait relations, socioeconomic issues and other areas, he said.
TRAGEDY: An expert said that the incident was uncommon as the chance of a ground crew member being sucked into an IDF engine was ‘minuscule’ A master sergeant yesterday morning died after she was sucked into an engine during a routine inspection of a fighter jet at an air base in Taichung, the Air Force Command Headquarters said. The officer, surnamed Hu (胡), was conducting final landing checks at Ching Chuan Kang (清泉崗) Air Base when she was pulled into the jet’s engine for unknown reasons, the air force said in a news release. She was transported to a hospital for emergency treatment, but could not be revived, it said. The air force expressed its deepest sympathies over the incident, and vowed to work with authorities as they
A tourist who was struck and injured by a train in a scenic area of New Taipei City’s Pingsi District (平溪) on Monday might be fined for trespassing on the tracks, the Railway Police Bureau said yesterday. The New Taipei City Fire Department said it received a call at 4:37pm on Monday about an incident in Shifen (十分), a tourist destination on the Pingsi Railway Line. After arriving on the scene, paramedics treated a woman in her 30s for a 3cm to 5cm laceration on her head, the department said. She was taken to a hospital in Keelung, it said. Surveillance footage from a
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
Another wave of cold air would affect Taiwan starting from Friday and could evolve into a continental cold mass, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Temperatures could drop below 10°C across Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday next week, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. Seasonal northeasterly winds could bring rain, he said. Meanwhile, due to the continental cold mass and radiative cooling, it would be cold in northern and northeastern Taiwan today and tomorrow, according to the CWA. From last night to this morning, temperatures could drop below 10°C in northern Taiwan, it said. A thin coat of snow
RSS