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A-bian accepted ‘1992
consensus’: Ma
NUANCE: A DPP spokesman said Chen Shui-bian
actually said Taiwan could talk to Beijing about the one China principle, but
that did not mean Taiwan accepted it
By Mo Yan-chih / Staff Reporter
Amid recent discussions over the existence of the so-called “1992 consensus,”
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said that even former president Chen
Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) expressed a
willingness to conditionally accept the consensus, while reiterating the Ma
government’s support of the concept as the basis for cross-strait development.
Citing what he said was a press release issued by the Presidential Office in
2000 when Chen met with representatives from US Asia Foundation, Ma said Chen
told the group that his administration was willing to accept the consensus
reached by Straits Exchange Foundation and China’s Association for Relations
Across the Taiwan Strait, which is “one China, with each side having its own
interpretation.”
Chen also told the group that China did not acknowledge the consensus and offer
its own “one China” policy, Ma said, adding that soon after Chen made the
remarks, then-chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Tsai Ing-wen
(蔡英文) held a press conference to deny the comments.
The “1992 consensus” refers to an agreement Ma and the Chinese Nationalist Party
(KMT) claim was reached by Taiwan and China in 1992, to the effect that each
side recognized “one China,” but would retain their individual interpretations
of what that meant.
“I met with former president Chen after a visit to the US in 2006 and told him
[taking the 1992 consensus as the basis for cross-strait development] is
feasible. He made it clear that if the mainland accepted the concept, he would
respect it,” Ma said.
Insisting that Chen was willing to conditionally acknowledge the existence of
the “1992 consensus, “Ma said that supporting the consensus was to support the
Republic of China (ROC) and the development of cross-strait relations as
-defined by the ROC Constitution.
“As president of the ROC, I of course support the ROC ... The two sides of the
Taiwan Strait are both aware that unification is not open to discussion, but we
can definitely promote cross-strait developments in other aspects,” he added.
Ma’s comments came in the wake of disputes over the existence of the consensus
after Tsai, currently the DPP chairperson and presidential candidate, denied the
existence of the consensus when she publicized her cross-strait policies on
Tuesday.
Tsai said the term “1992 consensus” did not exist until 2000 when then-MAC
chairman Su Chi (蘇起) invented it, shortly before the KMT handed over power to
the DPP.
Ma yesterday said that without the consensus, there would be no foundation for
cross-strait negotiations. He said his administration would continue to adopt
the consensus as cross-strait relations developed, seeking to maintain the
status quo while pushing for cross-strait exchanges in economics, education and
culture.
In response, DPP spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) accused Ma of distorting Chen
Shui-bian’s remarks about the “1992 Consensus.”
Chen Chi-mai said then-MAC chairwoman Tsai had expounded on Chen Shui-bian’s
comments, by which Chen Shui-bian meant that the conclusion of the 1992
cross-strait talks resulted in “each side says what they want to say (各說各話).”
Chen Chi-mai added that the then-Presidential Office had also elaborated on Chen
Shui-bian’s remarks, saying that he believed that Taiwan could talk with Beijing
about the one China principle, but that that did not mean Taiwan was willing to
accept the one China principle, particularly if China insisted that the only
China was the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and that Taiwan is part of the
PRC.
Additional reporting by Rich Chang
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