China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed hope that Taiwan’s new leader can comply with China’s constitution. Wang was speaking on Tuesday during his trip to the United States.
Premier Chang San-cheng said on Tuesday that after reading Wang’s statement in English, he thinks that Wang does not recognize the constitution of the Republic of China (ROC). The ROC is Taiwan’s official name.
Chang said, "The first point is because he is the foreign minister, we wondered if he is speaking from the level of state to state when making his statement. No, we don’t think so. When he answered, the first sentence he said is ‘this is not within my authority’; second, he said ‘their Taiwan’s constitution’ and ‘their constitution’. He did not acknowledge our constitution; in the very last line he said the key point is still ‘One China’.”
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council Minister Andrew Hsia said that China has not changed its stance on Taiwan policy. Chinese President Xi Jinping has again emphasized upholding the 1992 Consensus. Under the consensus, both Taiwan and China agree that both sides belong to one China. But each side maintains its own interpretation of what one China means.
As to the Cross-Strait Goods Trade Agreement, Premier Chang San-cheng said up to now, the results of negotiations between the two sides on the agreement have been beneficial to Taiwan. Chang said it is not appropriate for Taiwan’s agriculture industry to make too many concessions even though China has been hoping that Taiwan would yield more.