Premier Lai reiterates 6 resolutions in response to China President Xi

ROC Central News Agency

2017/10/20 17:58:47

Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Friday reiterated Taiwan's stance on its dealings with China, saying that it retains "six resolutions" as part of its efforts to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait and in the region.

"Taiwan is a sovereign and independent state and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is the paramount leader in determining the country's cross-strait policy," Lai said at an interpellation session in the Legislature.

President Tsai has pledged that "we will keep our promises and will not bow to pressure," the premier said, responding to a question by Kuomintang lawmaker Kung Wen-chi (孔文吉) on Chinese President Xi Jinping's comments about Taiwan at the 19th congress of the Communist Party of China on Wednesday.

Xi insisted that the "one China principle" and the "1992 consensus" were the political basis for Beijing's handling of cross-strait ties and said that "China will not sit idly by if "any person, organization or political party tried to split any territory from China at any time in any form."

In response, Lai said the Taiwan government has "resolve to protect Taiwan's sovereignty, freedom and human rights, and remains committed to developing the economy, deepening peaceful development in cross-strait interaction, and safeguarding the right of Taiwan's people to determine their own future."

On Kung's suggestion that President Tsai recognize the so-called "1992 consensus" as a way to break the current stalemate with China, Lai said Taiwan society is deeply divided on that issue.

"Some people think Taiwan should accept the consensus, while others don't believe such a consensus exits," the premier said. "We must honestly face up to this big difference in the society because it will have an impact on the country's future direction."

The 1992 consensus, a tacit agreement reached between Beijing and Taiwan's Kuomintang administration in 1992, served as the political foundation for relations between Taipei and Beijing during the administration of then President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) from 2008 to 2016.

According to the consensus, there is only "one China," with each side of the strait free to interpret what that means.

Tsai and her Democratic Progressive Party have argued that such a consensus was never reached and they generally reject it because it implies that Taiwan is a part of China.

Due mainly to that stance, Beijing has halted official contact with Taipei since Tsai took office in May 2016 and overall cross-strait relations have grown cold.

Lai may have deepened the impasse when he described himself as a pragmatic supporter of Taiwan independence, in his first report to the Legislative Yuan in late September shortly after he took office.

(By Chen Chun-hua and Flor Wang)
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