Terry Gou voices support for 'one China, different interpretations'
ROC Central News Agency
05/13/2023 09:34 PM
Taipei, May 13 (CNA) Business tycoon Terry Gou (郭台銘) on Saturday proposed recognizing "one China, with different interpretations" as a basis to resume talks with the People's Republic of China (PRC), days before the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) is scheduled to nominate its presidential candidate.
Gou, who is seeking to represent the KMT in the 2024 presidential election, vowed to stand firm on the stance of the Republic of China (ROC), the official name of Taiwan, while accepting the "one China, with different interpretations" principle, when he published his "peace declaration" in Kinmen, an outlying island roughly 2 km from China at the nearest point.
Gou said "one China" with each side of the Taiwan Strait having its "own interpretation" of what "China" means are two equally important elements of the "1992 consensus."
The "1992 consensus" enabled the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to negotiate for more than 20 years in the past, said Gou.
The reasons why relations are now at a point where the two sides do not talk to and are implacably hostile to each other is because the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government rejects the "one China, with different interpretations" principle, he said.
Gou argued that the DPP has deliberately replaced the "one China, different interpretation" principle with others such as "two Chinas," "one China, one Taiwan," and "one side, one country," all the while inciting hatred to stir up confrontation and thereby dividing Taiwanese society.
According to the KMT, the "1992 consensus" was reached at a 1992 meeting between the two sides under a KMT administration headed by former ROC President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), referring to a tacit understanding that both sides recognize there is only "one China," with each having its own interpretation of what China means.
The term "1992 consensus" was coined by former Mainland Affairs Council minister Su Chi (蘇起) in 2000 before the KMT government handed over power to the DPP.
The DPP refuses to accept the "1992 consensus." It argues that Beijing has never acknowledged the existence of the ROC and that agreeing to the "1992 consensus" implies acceptance of China's claim over Taiwan.
According to Guo, the hostile military maneuvers the PRC government recently launched around Taiwan involving aircraft and warships encircling Taiwan after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, was not aimed at the people of Taiwan, but at the DPP government's provocative words and actions.
If he were elected ROC president, Taiwan independence will not be an issue; and with that, there will be no military harassment of Taiwan by China, Guo said, adding that as a result, both sides can sit down to talk over issues, including "different interpretations" for as long as it takes.
If elected, Guo said, he will assemble a team composed of different political parties, ethnic groups, and generations, to negotiate with China on the basis of "one China, different interpretations," while abiding by the "one China principle of the ROC Constitution."
If he wins the presidential election in January 2024, Kinmen, which withstood artillery bombardments by China from 1958 to 1979 -- known as the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis -- will be designated a permanent memorial park as a warning to avoid conflict, Gou said.
Guo said he will be patient in negotiation with China, and continue to acquire or develop state-of-the-art weapons to enhance Taiwan's military capability, but not to start a war.
The founder and former CEO of Hon Hai Technology Group said that his mission is to ensure Taiwan and China engage in peaceful and normal exchanges, based on which Taiwan can create prosperity and well-being and maintain a free and democratic system.
In response to Guo's remarks, DPP Spokeswoman Michelle Lin (林楚茵) said Saturday that Guo's advocacy for "one China, with different interpretations" is a "great delusion" because the PRC does not allow for the existence of the ROC Taiwan in its "one China principle."
Guo's idea of recognizing the "1992 consensus" in exchange for cross-strait peace ignores the fact that it does not align with the mainstream opinion of Taiwan's society, adding that the approach will never bring about real peace.
The "1992 consensus," as defined by the PRC government is "one country, two systems," Lin argued.
It is regrettable that Guo described the efforts by the DPP government to safeguard Taiwan's national security, democracy and freedom as provocative and hostile to China, an opinion that is unacceptable to most Taiwanese, Lin said.
Separately, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) also rejected the allegation by Guo that the PRC's recent military maneuvers targeting Taiwan were a response to the provocations of the DPP government.
Over the past seven years since the DPP government came to power in 2016, China has repeatedly tried to undermine the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait and threatened the use of military action in the region, the MAC said.
In the face of such threats, the government has responded in a way that is unyielding, yet not provocative, the MAC said.
The DPP government will continue to work with like-minded countries in joint efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and in the region, it said in a statement.
The KMT is scheduled to announce its presidential nominee at a meeting on May 17, with New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) widely viewed as the favorite.
In 2019, Gou resigned as CEO of Foxconn and joined the KMT to run for president the next year, but dropped out after losing the race to win the party's nomination. He has since remained an independent.
(By Liu Kuan-ting, Weu Kuei-hsiang, and Shih Hsiu-chuan)
Enditem/AW
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