TAIPEI (TVBS News) — China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesperson Chen Binhua insisted on Wednesday (Jan. 17) that cross-strait communication could commence based on the 1992 Consensus, embodying the principle of one China. Without it, any discussions would be off the table.
This statement is in response to previous comments by President-elect Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who has called for dialogue instead of confrontation between both straits.
President-elect and DPP chairman Lai Ching-te stated that cross-strait exchanges can minimize risks, and peace can only be achieved through dialogue instead of confrontation. Peaceful equality and democratic dialogue are most beneficial to the people of both straits.
However, TAO stressed that the DPP's insistence on Taiwanese independence is the fundamental obstacle to interactions with China.
Commenting on the matter, Kuo Yu-jen, a professor at the Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies at National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU), said that the TAO's statement was unsurprising.
Kuo referenced President Tsai Ing-wen's eight years of advocating for dialogue without preconditions and the "four insistences": upholding the democratic constitutional system, the insistence that the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, the maintenance of sovereignty, and adherence to the Republic of China's Taiwan's future determined by all Taiwanese people.
Kuo criticized Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Hou Yu-ih's stance of accepting the 1992 Consensus but rejecting "one country, two systems" as naive and dangerous.
Kuo emphasized that China's One China principle forms the basis of the 1992 Consensus and places Taiwan at a disadvantage, leading to less negotiation power.
