Letters | Taiwan is not in danger, as long as 1992 consensus is upheld

The Democratic Progressive Party should recognise the agreement in place

Based on this consensus, Beijing should allow Taipei to attend the World Health Assembly and facilitate the renewal of visas of Taiwan agency staff in Hong Kong

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A Taiwan navy honour guard stands in front of a Taiwanese flag during the launch ceremony for a Taiwanese built amphibious transport dock in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on April 13. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:10am, 19 May 2021Updated: 12:10am, 19 May 2021

In the relationship between China and Taiwan, the most important term is the so-called 1992 consensus. What is this consensus?

First, the 1992 consensus is not “one country, two systems”, because there was no such system in place in 1992.

Second, the 1992 consensus is not “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan” or “Taiwan independence”. At the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and then Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore on November 7, 2015, Ma told Xi that the constitution of the Republic of China does not allow these terms.

Consensus is usually achieved through negotiation, requiring some compromise. The 1992 consensus was a compromise between the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait and the Straits Exchange Foundation.

The two associations held a meeting in 1992 in Hong Kong, after which they exchanged letters and had telephone conversations. One of the compromises they reached was to uphold the “one China” principle, and that each side could express its interpretation verbally.

However, the Democratic Progressive Party has repeatedly said that there was no 1992 consensus. The DPP should know there has been a compromise, otherwise Taiwan could not have exported US$150 billion of goods to mainland China and Hong Kong last year.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Taiwan is not in danger, as long as 1992 consensus is upheld

Letters | Taiwan is not in danger, as long as 1992 consensus is upheld