The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has given the legislature a detailed report on last Saturday’s closed-door discussions between President Ma Ying-jeou and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
On Saturday, the leaders of Taiwan and Mainland China met in Singapore for the first time in 66 years since the end of the Chinese Civil War.
Speaking at the legislature on Monday, MAC Minister Andrew Hsia said that President Ma Ying-jeou made it clear to the Chinese leader that the 1992 Consensus remains the basis of cross-strait exchanges.
"The two sides reached the consensus in November 1992. Under the consensus, both sides agreed to stick to the ‘One China’ principle, though each side is allowed its own oral interpretation of what that means, in other words 'One China, Two Interpretations,' Hsia said. "The consensus does not involve "two Chinas", "one China and one Taiwan", or "Taiwan independence" at all. That’s because none of these are permitted by the Republic of China’s constitution. This position is clear and it has won the acceptance of the majority of Taiwan’s people."
Taipei’s interpretation holds that "One China" refers to the Republic of China on Taiwan.
Ma has been criticized for discussing the 1992 Consensus in front of the media on Saturday without mentioning that both sides continue to hold separate interpretations of "One China".
Hsia said that this criticism is unfair because serious issues such as the way each side interprets "One China" should be left for private discussion between the two leaders.