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.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS