The chairman of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT), Eric Chu, says the KMT’s presidential and legislative candidates must stick to the “92 Consensus”, because it’s a party policy. He was speaking on Wednesday at the KMT’s Central Standing Committee.
The “92 Consensus” refers to a tacit agreement reached between Taiwan and China in 1992. Under the consensus, the two sides agree that there is only “one China”, although each may have its own interpretation of what “one China” means. This consensus has been used as a basis for interaction between the two sides.
Chu’s remarks on Wednesday follow comments from KMT presidential hopeful Hung Hsiu-chu. Hung said that cross-strait ties have reached a bottleneck and that Taipei and Beijing should sign a peace agreement. She also urged China to recognize the existence of the Republic of China on Taiwan.
But Chu emphasized the importance of the “92 Consensus,” saying that candidates cannot deviate from the party’s policy.
"The 92 Consensus is the KMT’s basis for promoting cross-strait ties and seeking peaceful development," said Chu.
"The consensus will help promote cross-strait cooperation and result in a win-win situation,” he said.
Chu has said that the KMT will nominate Hung as the party’s presidential candidate on July 19.