China urged to be 'pragmatic' after rejecting new cross-strait framework idea

Taipei, Oct. 16 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) called on China to engage with Taiwan in "a rational and pragmatic manner" after Beijing dismissed the possibility of discussing a new cross-strait framework on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) proposed that discussions between both sides of the Taiwan Strait could take place at the "Nangan 26 Stronghold" in the Matsu Islands, Taiwanese territory located close to China's Fujian province.

Luo invited China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) -- China's counterpart to Taiwan's SEF -- to come to the "Nangan 26 Stronghold" for discussions of a "Two Six Consensus" (二六共識).

SEF is the semi-official organization tasked by Taiwan's government to handle technical matters involving China.

Visiting Matsu on Tuesday, Luo suggested that the "Two Six Consensus" would be more forward-looking than the "1992 consensus," which Beijing insists must be accepted for any official discussions between Beijing and Taipei to take place.

Luo added that the "1992 consensus" was an outdated framework from over 30 years ago.

In response, China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), which handles cross-strait relations from the Chinese side, rejected the idea of discussing Taiwan's proposal for a "Two Six Consensus."

TAO spokesperson Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said at a Wednesday press conference in Beijing that the "1992 consensus" is the "clear path," adding that it was "unnecessary to create the so-called 'Two Six Consensus.'"

"The Taiwanese authorities should seek the correct answers rather than reinvent the wheel," Chen said.

Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正), head of the MAC, which oversees the SEF, also responded to the Chinese response to the "Two Six Consensus" proposal at an event in Taipei.

Chiu said that "the sticking point" in cross-strait relations lies in the fact that the People's Republic of China (PRC, China's official name) refuses to acknowledge the objective reality of the existence of the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan's official name).

"We continue to urge the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to interact with Taiwan's democratically elected government in a rational and pragmatic manner, to promote normal, healthy, and orderly cross-strait exchanges," Chiu added.

He also reiterated the fact that "the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not subordinate to each other" is an objective reality and reflects the current situation across the strait.

Also on Wednesday, Luo explained that no record of the "1992 consensus" could be found in SEF's archives or correspondence between the SEF and the ARATS.

While there were talks in 1992 between the two sides, the so-called "consensus" did not exist, he said.

Luo noted that using an outdated framework, which was neither agreed upon nor accepted by both parties involved in the talks, as the basis for discussing cross-strait relations is inappropriate.

The "1992 consensus" was a tacit understanding reached in 1992 between the then Kuomintang (KMT) government of the ROC and the Chinese government. It has been consistently interpreted by the KMT as an acknowledgment by both sides that there is only "one China," with each side free to interpret what "China" means.

Beijing has never publicly recognized the second part of the KMT's interpretation, and insists instead that Taiwan is part of its territory.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has never acknowledged the "1992 consensus," arguing that Beijing allows no room for the ROC's interpretation of "China", and that accepting the so-called "consensus" would imply agreement with China's claim over Taiwan.