Taiwan’s top government body in charge of relations with China says it respects the “historical reality” of the 1992 Consensus.
The consensus was a tacit agreement reached by Beijing and Taipei in 1992. Under the consensus, both sides agreed that they belong to “one China”, though both sides reserved the right to interpret the meaning of “one China” in their own way. President Tsai Ing-wen has angered Beijing by breaking with precedent and avoiding formal recognition of the consensus.
On Wednesday, the leader of the association of Taiwanese businesses in China, asked why Tsai is unable to recognize the consensus. In response, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Katherine Chang said that the government has never denied the basis the 1992 Consensus has provided for cross-strait talks.
She said the government respects the “historical reality” of the 1992 Consensus, along with the constitution and the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. Chang said that Taiwan sincerely calls on China to resume dialogue and to work for the interests of people on both sides of the Strait.