Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday described the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait as both sides belonging to “one China,” framing the political formula as the basis for restarting cross-strait dialogue.
Restarting dialogue and exchanges based on the “1992 consensus” and an “anti-Taiwan independence” stance is the only way to ensure a peaceful and stable cross-strait relationship, Cheng said during an online interview.
Cheng was responding to host Tang Hsiang-lung (唐湘龍), who said that her stance on the “status quo” differed from that of American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene and asked whether her proposal was workable.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Greene told United Daily News in an interview published yesterday that more than 70 percent of Taiwanese back the “status quo,” a consensus he described as the best basis for Taipei’s elected leaders to conduct talks with Beijing.
Given the consensus, Beijing’s attempts to divide Taiwanese society are unlikely to succeed, Greene said, adding that dialogue without preconditions remains the best way to prevent miscalculations and resolve differences, United Daily News reported.
Greene said that those who advocate accommodating Beijing’s preferences, such as keeping Taiwan’s defenses weak, assume that China wants to preserve the “status quo,” even though its words and actions show no such intention, the report said.
In her reply to Tang, Cheng said that her proposal is necessary because the “status quo” under the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is “increasingly difficult to maintain.”
A decade of deteriorating cross-strait ties has brought the region to the brink of war, where any action — miscalculated or not — could spark a conflict, Cheng said, adding that widespread concern internationally explains why her policies are gaining traction.
The so-called “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 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.
Beijing cut off official talks with Taiwan in 2016, when the DPP returned to power following eight years of KMT rule.
Cheng said that there is “no alternative way” to ensure cross-strait peace and stability other than what she has proposed to resume cross-strait dialogue.
However, enhancing Taiwan’s defense capabilities and resilience remains vital and has her support, she added.
Cheng then went on to slam the DPP government for trying to alter the “status quo,” which she said dictates that both sides belong to “one China,” in line with the constitution of the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan’s formal name.
“By constantly pushing the ‘new two-states theory,’ the DPP is changing the status quo, destroying the status quo and playing with fire,” she said.
The “new two-states theory” was coined by former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to characterize the DPP’s stance that the ROC and People’s Republic of China “are not subordinate to each other,” drawing a parallel to late president Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) “special state-to-state” doctrine.
Separately, Su Chi (蘇起), a former National Security Council secretary-general under the Ma administration, said he concurred with Greene that the vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the “status quo.”
However, the definition of the “status quo” has never been clarified, Su said.
The “status quo” in 2016, when the DPP succeeded the Ma administration, was built on a framework of active cross-strait interaction and differed significantly from the current “status quo,” which the DPP defines through its “mutually non-subordinate” formulation, Su said.
Su made the remarks at an event hosted by the KMT to mark the release of a documentary titled The Peace Maker, featuring Cheng’s trip to China in April.
Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄), secretary-general of the DPP’s legislative caucus, rejected Cheng’s assertion that both sides of the strait belong to “one China.”
Many of Beijing’s actions, such as its military harassment, threats and “gray zone” activities around Taiwan, are what actually undermine and disrupt the “status quo,” he said.