Taiwan's leaders urged to respect 1992 Consensus

Officials and experts concerning cross-Straits relations called on the Democratic Progressive Party, the ruling party on Taiwan, to adhere to the 1992 Consensus during a symposium on Friday in Beijing that marked the fifth anniversary of a 2015 meeting between President Xi Jinping and then-Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou.

The face-to-face meeting half a decade ago was the first between leaders from both sides of the Taiwan Straits since 1949. Xi and Ma, who was the island's leader from 2008 to 2016, met and had talks in Singapore on Nov 7, 2015.

Liu Jieyi, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said it was a milestone for cross-Straits relations and a breakthrough in high-level communication, which marked a new height of interaction between the two sides.

"The historic meeting proves that Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits have the capability and wisdom to solve our own problems," Liu said.

"It demonstrates our political responsibility and strong sense of mission to resolve the Taiwan question and achieve the complete reunification of the motherland," he added.

Zhang Zhijun, president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, who witnessed the 2015 meeting as head of the Taiwan Affairs Office at that time, said: "When leaders of the two sides met, they shook hands firmly for 80 seconds.

It reflects the hard-won achievements of the historic breakthrough, and also the concerns and expectations of compatriots on both sides of the straits for the meeting and the continuous development of cross-Straits relations."

During the meeting, they addressed each other as Mr Xi and Mr Ma, which was agreed to by both sides in advance, Zhang said. "It demonstrated extraordinary political creativity and a pragmatic approach to shelving disputes and respecting each other."

Leaders from both sides agreed to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, strengthen communication and dialogue, expand cross-Straits exchanges, deepen cooperation and achieve mutual benefit, he said.

Zhu Weidong, deputy head of the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the historic meeting was concluded on the premise of both sides agreeing to the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle and is key to the peaceful and stable development of cross-Straits relations.

The mainland treats all political parties and groups in Taiwan as equals and is willing to engage with them as long as they recognize the historical facts and core content of the 1992 Consensus, he said.

However, after the DPP came to power in 2016, it refused to recognize the 1992 Consensus and unilaterally destroyed the political foundation of cross-Straits relations, which resulted in a sharp downturn of cross-Straits relations, Zhu said.

"The provocative activities of separatist forces on the island and foreign forces are putting cross-Straits relations at risk. The risk of war over 'Taiwan independence' has risen significantly," he added.

Huang Ching-hsien, former Kuomintang Mainland Affairs Department director, said since the DPP took over leadership in 2016 amid foreign interference, cross-Straits relations have been in turmoil and have fallen into a doldrums this year.