Taipei and Beijing warn consensus must be kept
Two sides underscore importance of staying on current path ahead of island's election
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou on Wednesday warned against any attempt to change the approach to maintaining stability between the island and the mainland.
His remarks came as Zhang Zhijun, a top mainland official dealing with Taiwan, stressed the importance of upholding a consensus that allowed peaceful development on both sides.
The island will choose a new president next year and the candidate of the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party, Dr Tsai Ing-wen, has faced calls on several sides to clarify her party’s stance towards relations with Beijing. Analysts said the comments by Ma and Zhang were a message that straying from the current path would destroy amiable ties.
Tsai must “clearly tell us exactly what she means” when she says her party would maintain the status quo, Ma said. “In what way can she achieve that?”
Ma said he was pleased that Kuomintang chairman Eric Chu Li-luan would promote the 1992 consensus on “one-China” when he meets Communist Party chief Xi Jinping in Beijing next Monday. The consensus was an understanding that there is only “one China”, but each side would have its own interpretation of what constitutes “China”.
In an article published by People’s Daily, Zhang, the head of the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office, cautioned against any attempt by pro-independence activists to change the situation across the strait, saying ties depended on keeping the consensus.
