1992 Consensus key to reviving cross-Straits communication

Under the current challenge of intense relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle, is the key to restarting exchanges, experts from both sides said on Tuesday.

They made the remarks at a seminar held in Beijing to mark the 30th anniversary of the consensus reached between the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation and the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits.

The two organizations agreed in 1992 that they should express verbally that both sides of the Straits adhere to the one-China principle and strive for national reunification.

Representatives from across the Straits, including people who participated in or witnessed the formation of the consensus, attended the seminar in Beijing or via video link that was hosted by the Center for Research on Cross-Straits Relations based on the mainland.

Sun Yafu, vice-chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits on the mainland, said the 1992 Consensus is a result of the wisdom of seeking common ground while shelving differences, which has been widely applied in cross-Straits exchanges.

Chiu Chin-yi, former vice-chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation from Taiwan, said as a participant of the making of the 1992 Consensus he feels sad as the consensus has been distorted on the island.

"Looking back, the consensus has maintained the peaceful development of the two sides. Adhering to it, the two sides can work together for a better future," he said.

Chang Jung-kung, former deputy secretary-general of the Kuomintang party, said the cross-Straits consultation mechanism between the two sides operated well during the party's tenure on the island from 2008 to 2016, because the two sides at that time restrained their disputes so that they could promote cooperation under the one-China principle.

The distortion and denial of the 1992 Consensus have led to the interruption of communication between the authorities of the two sides in recent years and the unrest in the Straits that damaged the interests of the people in Taiwan, Chang said.

"If the impasse between the two sides remains unresolved, there is a high possibility that the situation will get worse, which shows the importance of the consensus," he said.

Although the door for institutionalized consultation between the two sides is now closed, it can be reopened at any time and the key to that is the 1992 Consensus, he added.

Chao Chien-min, a professor from the College of Social Sciences of the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan, said the exchanges among people from the two sides are very important to the stability of cross-Straits relations.

Closer people-to-people exchanges between the two sides and deeper economic and social integration can help lower the possibility of "Taiwan independence", he added.