Xi meeting would hinge on 1992 Consensus, anti-independence: KMT chair

Taipei, Dec. 27 (CNA) Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文) said Saturday that any meeting she might have with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) will come with no preconditions beyond adherence to the "1992 Consensus" and opposition to Taiwan independence.

Cheng made the remarks in response to comments by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) in a pre-recorded interview aired by Sanlih E-Television, in which Lai questioned how the public could believe a potential "Cheng-Xi meeting" would be unconditional when opposition parties have blocked defense budgets and national security bills "with no reason."

Speaking to reporters ahead of a KMT event, Cheng said cross-strait dialogue has a clear and long-established political basis in the 1992 Consensus, adding that this is neither secret nor difficult to understand and was demonstrated during former president Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) eight years in office from 2008-2016.

The "1992 consensus" refers to a tacit understanding reached in 1992 between the then KMT government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) 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.

The independence-leaning ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has never acknowledged the "1992 consensus," arguing that Beijing allows no room for the interpretation of "China" as the Republic of China, and that acceptance of the consensus implies agreement with China's claim over Taiwan.

Cheng said on Friday that she hopes to visit China in the first half of next year and meet Xi. If such a meeting is not possible, she said, the trip will not go ahead.

Earlier this month, the Liberty Times, a Chinese-language newspaper, reported that Beijing laid out "three tickets" for the meeting: blocking the budget for arms purchases; obstructing bills aimed at limiting cross-strait investment and people-to-people exchanges, as well as ending discrimination against Chinese spouses; and having the KMT reaffirm a political path toward unification, while proposing systematic reforms, and taking actions to advance that goal.

Cheng dismissed the report as fabricated, saying she has never accepted any such conditions. "There are no preconditions or side deals," she said, again citing only the 1992 Consensus and opposition to Taiwan independence.

She added that if President Lai truly believes there is no need to declare independence, then acknowledging the 1992 Consensus and abandoning the pro-independence DPP platform could also make a Lai-Xi meeting possible.

On cross-strait engagement, Cheng said recent visits by senior KMT figures to China were intended to build goodwill, reduce tensions and restore confidence in peace.

She also said that with major local elections scheduled for late next year, the party hopes to complete key overseas visits, including to Beijing and Washington, in the first half of the year due to its limited resources.