The Chinese mainland has expressed willingness to resume consultations with Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), provided that Taiwan authorities acknowledge the 1992 Consensus, which upholds the one-China principle.
At a regular press conference on Wednesday, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, addressed the current political stalemate across the Taiwan Strait. She attributed the impasse to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities’ persistent adherence to the separatist position of “Taiwan independence” since 2016.
“The DPP authorities have distorted—and even rejected—the 1992 Consensus, undermining the foundation for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and for consultations and exchanges between the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and the SEF,” Zhu said.
Zhu made these remarks in response to recent comments on cross-strait ties by Frank Wu, the new chairman of the SEF.
Reflecting on history, Zhu noted that in 1945, the Chinese people won the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, resulting in Taiwan’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule and its return to the motherland. After 1949, due to the continuation of China’s civil war and interference from external forces, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait entered a prolonged state of political confrontation.
“Taiwan remains an inalienable part of China’s territory—a fact that has never changed and cannot be changed,” Zhu emphasized. “This is not only a historical fact and legal basis, but also the status quo.”
She reiterated that the resumption of cross-strait consultations hinges on the acknowledgment of the 1992 Consensus by the Taiwan authorities.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
