Tsai Still Evasive on 1992 Consensus in TV Interview

 Tsai Still Evasive on 1992 Consensus in TV Interview

 Sources: All Taipei newspapers

 November 23, 2015

President Ma Ying-jeou held a historic meeting with Mainland President Xi Jinping in Singapore on November 7, and the public is interested to know whether there will be a meeting between Xi and Tsai Ing-wen, the DPP’s Chairwoman and Presidential candidate, should she be elected. 

According to a news report by the Apple Daily in Taipei yesterday, Tsai stated during an interview with Sanlih E-Television Station on November 20 that “she will not rule out the possibility of meeting with Xi” if the meeting would stabilize cross-Strait relations and be conducive to peace based on certain preconditions. 

Tsai explained that the meeting with Xi had to fulfill the following conditions: public support, parity and dignity, transparency, and no political prerequisites. 

She went on to say that if the DPP should win the Presidential Election on January 16, 2016, she would have to open a dialogue with the other side of the Taiwan Strait so that cross-Strait relations would not suffer a hiatus. 

Asked what the DPP would do if the Mainland insisted on the “one China” principle, the 1992 Consensus, and opposition to Taiwan independence, Tsai replied that since different views on cross-Strait relations indeed existed, both sides had to hold candid talks, adding that however, any pledges which were against public opinion on Taiwan could not prevail for long. She noted that the Mainland was closely monitoring public trends in Taiwan, and if the people of Taiwan reached a consensus on cross-Strait relations, “I believe that the Mainland authorities will respect Taiwan’s public opinions and take them into consideration when making decisions.” 

Asked whether the DPP already had a communication channel with the other side of the Strait, Tsai frankly admitted, “We don’t.” However, she stated that the most important matter was the establishment of democratic mechanisms because it was very important for a state leader to fully communicate with the Legislative Yuan and the people.

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