China's response to Tsai's cross-strait proposals impractical: MAC

Taipei, Jan. 15 (CNA) Taipei said Wednesday that China's reaffirmation of the "1992 consensus" earlier in the day in response to President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) proposal for positive cross-strait interactions was not in keeping with the democratic wishes of the Taiwan people.

In a statement, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that the results of the Jan. 11 elections were a clear indication of the Taiwanese people's rejection of the "one country, two systems" formula.

"Beijing's wishful thinking and harsh suppression will not change that fact," the MAC said.

It called on China to rationally consider Tsai's proposal for "peace, parity, democracy, and dialogue" as the basis for cross-strait interactions, and to end its approach of manipulation, threat and suppression.

Tsai's made the proposal in her victory speech after her landslide victory on Jan. 11, saying that those four words were the key to positive cross-strait interactions and long-term stable development.

In Beijing's first public response to her proposal, Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光), spokesman of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a press conference Wednesday that the "1992 consensus" must be adhered to as the basis of cross-strait relations.

"Shaking a mountain is easy, rocking the '1992 consensus' is difficult," he said.

The deterioration in cross-strait relations and suspension of negotiations between the two sides were caused by Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) refusal to recognize the "1992 consensus" since 2016, he said, referring to the year Tsai took office as president.

The "1992 consensus" refers to a tacit understanding reached in 1992 between the then Kuomintang (KMT) government and the Chinese government.

The consensus has been consistently interpreted by the KMT as both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledging there is only "one China," with each free to interpret what "China" means.

However, Beijing has never publicly recognized the second part of the KMT interpretation.

At the press conference, Ma said Taiwan's future lies in national reunification, and since Taiwanese are actually Chinese, Taiwan's future should be decided by the Chinese people.

The Taiwan Affairs Office will continue to promote peaceful development of cross-strait relations under the policies laid out by China President Xi Jinping (習近平), which are "one country, two systems", "peaceful unification" and the "one China" principle.

In response, the MAC said the People's Republic of China should face the fact that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign country that has never been a part of the PRC.

"(The PRC) needs to recognize that Taiwan's future can only be decided by Taiwan's 23 million citizens," the MAC said. "No threat or incentive can shake our determination to uphold our country's sovereignty and our freedom and democracy."

Two members of the DPP also responded to Ma's remarks Wednesday, both expressing similar views.

DPP Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said the Taiwanese people have used 8.17 million votes, the number gained by Tsai in the Jan. 11 election, to tell China and the world that they strongly disagree with the "one country, two systems" formula.

"Living in the past is no help to future peaceful cross-strait development," Luo said, adding that he hopes China can understand the Taiwanese people's determination to maintain their democracy.

Responding to reporters' questions on the issue, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) also said Tsai's landslide reelection to a second term bid was proof that the Taiwanese people want to live freely and democratically.