President-elect Tsai Ing-wen says that one of the bases of her cross-strait policy is the historical fact that the two sides across the Taiwan Strait held talks in 1992. She was speaking on Thursday in an interview with the Liberty Times.
According to the ruling Kuomintang (KMT), the two sides reached a consensus during those talks. The party and the current administration have maintained that under the so-called "1992 Consensus", Taiwan and China agree that both sides are part of “One China”, but that each has separate interpretations of what “One China” means.
However, Tsai and her party have refused to acknowlege that there was a consensus. The KMT has urged Tsai and her party -- the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) -- to uphold the consensus as the basis for cross-strait ties.
Tsai said that her call to maintain the status quo is congruent with the views of the Taiwanese people. She said that when she takes office in May, she will abide by the constitution of the Republic of China on Taiwan and move beyond the position of her party to meet public expectations. She said she will base her policy on public interest and guarantee cross-strait peace and stability.
Tsai also spoke about President Ma Ying-jeou’s invitation to hold a meeting on setting up a new Cabinet. Tsai said that the current constitutional system does not allow for the majority party to take up most of the seats in the Cabinet. However, Tsai said she will do all she can to help maintain stability in the government during the transition period.
Tsai said the most important work of her new government will be to reconstruct Taiwan. She also said there must be an overhaul of outdated laws.
Tsai said that she will first stabilize the political environment both inside and outside Taiwan. She said she hopes that Taiwan will then begin economic talks with its major trading partners. Tsai said that after the Chinese New Year holiday, she will meet with local industrial leaders to make sure that their voices are heard and that their suggestions are implemented when she takes office.