Taiwan's three presidential hopefuls have put forth their cross-strait policies to the public at the first platform presentation of the election season. The presentation took place Friday evening, local time.
KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu said that the 1992 Consensus is the basis of cross-strait ties. The 1992 Consensus refers to a tacit agreement reached between Taiwan and China in 1992. Under the agreement, both sides agree that there is only one China, though each side is allowed to maintain its own interpretation of what that means.
Chu said that if elected, he will stick to the 1992 Consensus, safeguard Taiwan’s interests, and create a situation that benefits both sides of the Taiwan Strait. He also promised to ratify all future trade agreements with China through an oversight mechanism.
Opposition DPP candidate Tsai Ing-wen said that her party acknowledges that Taiwan and China reached a consensus in 1992. Tsai said that her policy, which she called a “Taiwan Consensus” focuses on maintaining the status quo. But she said that her policy is different from the current administration's in that it does not limit Taiwan's options for conducting cross-strait relations in the future.
Meanwhile, People First Party candidate James Soong said that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are "one family". Soong said he will use Taiwan’s advantages in the pursuit of cross-strait peace.