Frank Hsieh (front) attends a DPP meeting Wednesday.
Taipei, May 4 (CNA) The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) does not recognize the existence of the so-called "1992 consensus," but acknowledges that there was a meeting between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait in 1992, former Premier and DPP heavyweight Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) has said recently.
Asked about his views on the "1992 consensus" during a recent interview with Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper, Hsieh said the DPP's stance is that Taipei and Beijing never reached a consensus that allows for respective interpretations on the meaning of "one China."
However, he said the party recognizes that there was a meeting between Taiwan and China in 1992, although the term "1992 consensus" was only created in later years.
"The DPP has also mentioned the spirit of the meeting in 1992," he said. There were agreements reached in that meeting and "we should respect some of the spirit of these agreements, because they are historical facts," he said, without elaborating.
The "1992 consensus" refers to a tacit understanding between Taipei and Beijing on a formula for relations between the two sides that would allow dialogue between them -- that there is only one China, with each side free to interpret what "one China" means.
The two sides reached the consensus in 1992 in a follow-up to a cross-strait negotiation in Hong Kong earlier that year, according to President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) Kuomintang administration.
Over the past eight years under the Ma administration, cross-strait ties have improved a great deal, as Taiwan and China agreed to use the "1992 consensus" as the political foundation for the development of ties across the strait.
But Ma's successor, President-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the DPP, refuses to recognize the existence of the "1992 consensus." Tsai will be sworn in May 20.
In response to questions about the development of cross-strait ties under the new government, Hsieh said that Tsai's China policy will be aimed at maintaining the cross-strait status quo and promoting cross-strait relations under the framework of the Republic of China Constitution.
Although the KMT and DPP have differences on many issues, the two parties have a common goal of maintaining good ties with Japan and the United States and maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait, Hsieh said.
He said he believes that Tsai will make every effort to maintain peace in the strait and that she will do her utmost to address the challenges that might arise.
Tsai hopes that Beijing realizes the importance of peace in the strait and in East Asia, which is conducive to the economic development of the region, Hsieh said.
In response to Hsieh's remarks, DPP spokesman Juan Chao-hsiung (阮昭雄) said that Tsai's stance on her China policy is to maintain peace in the strait and stable development of cross-strait relations.
It is in the interests of all sides and is the consensus among the Taiwanese public, according to Juan.
During the interview, Hsieh also confirmed that he will serve as Taiwan's new representative to Japan in the Tsai administration.
(By Kelven Huang, Sophia Yeh and Elaine Hou)
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