On November 7, 2015, in the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, leaders from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou walked towards each other, holding their hands tightly together. This "handshake of the century" that lasted for 80 seconds and spanned 66 years is an important milestone in the history of cross-strait relations!
htmlOn November 6, a symposium on the fifth anniversary of the historic meeting between the leaders of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait was held in Beijing. People from both sides of the Taiwan Strait attended the meeting highly praised the great significance and far-reaching impact of the meeting in the development of cross-strait relations, and expressed that we should firmly adhere to the "1992 Consensus" and oppose "Taiwan independence", and on this basis, promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, strengthen cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, deepen cross-strait integration and development, enhance the welfare of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and jointly create a better future for the reunification of the motherland and national rejuvenation. htmlOn November 7, the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation held a seminar on the fifth anniversary of the historic meeting of leaders of the cross-strait to discuss the significance of the historic meeting of leaders of the cross-strait to the cross-strait and the situation after the US election. In his special speech, former Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou pointed out that in his speech on October 10, Tsai Ing-wen claimed that Taiwan insisted on "not fearing war or seeking war", but he believed that in addition to this, it is necessary to "prepare for war, avoid war and seek peace" to create situations that are beneficial to Taiwan. War cannot solve the problem. He hopes that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can return to the "original" "1992 Consensus". He would solemnly call on Tsai Ing-wen to accept the "1992 Consensus" if there is no alternative, and seek peace with the mainland to make the people feel at ease. In addition, Ma Ying-jeou also questioned that the DPP authorities' strategy of "unifying the United States to resist the mainland" is actually not enough to bring security guarantees to Taiwan. Although the US Congress recently passed a number of arms sales and the "Promotion of Taiwan Act", it has never changed the "strategic fuzzy" policy of the Taiwan Strait that the US executive has adhered to for more than 40 years. At the end of October, US Secretary of State Pompeo still said in his reply to the media that the US policy toward Taiwan has not changed, and a US State Department spokesperson also said that the United States does not seek any military conflict in Asia. Ma Ying-jeou further stated that Taiwan should avoid choosing sides in the "US-China struggle" to avoid becoming a pawn in the game of great powers and becoming a victim in the struggle between the two strongholds.
public opinion on both sides of the Taiwan Strait highly praised the fifth anniversary of the historic meeting of leaders of the cross-strait held by the mainland yesterday.
Empressive Professor Zhao Chunshan of the Mainland Institute of Tamkang University, Taiwan, pointed out that this time the mainland once again emphasized that everything can be discussed under the "1992 Consensus", which means that the mainland has expressed a good intention and peace message. No one likes to fight against cross-strait issues. Zhao Chunshan believes that the historic meeting between the leaders of the cross-strait represents a historical turning point in the development of cross-strait relations, that is, the dialogue level between the two sides has been gradually raised from the head of the Cross-Strait Two Sessions and the head of the cross-strait affairs department to the meeting between the leaders of the cross-strait. Zhao Chunshan believes that the historic meeting between the leaders of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait was certainly not achieved overnight. It is the result of the accumulation of a considerable degree of mutual trust between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party through continuous consultation. During the entire negotiation process, the "1992 Consensus" played a key role. Xi Jinping described it as a "stabilizing needle" for dealing with cross-strait relations; Ma Ying-jeou said it was the "traffic rule" that passes through the "peace bridge" of the cross-strait.
Revisiting the historic meeting between the leaders of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Huang Qingxian, former director of the Mainland Affairs Department of the Kuomintang and chairman of the China Cross-Strait New Era Exchange Association, pointed out that from 2008 to 2016, it was precisely because the two sides of the Taiwan Strait jointly adhered to the "1992 Consensus" that they achieved fruitful results and peace and prosperity, leaving cross-strait relations in a peaceful and stable state. If the Kuomintang wants to consolidate the party's historical status in cross-strait relations, it should vigorously promote the benefits brought to Taiwan by the "1992 Consensus" and make positive contributions to the peaceful and stable development of cross-strait relations. If the DPP authorities can face up to the expectations of the Taiwanese people for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and return to the right path of the "1992 Consensus", cross-strait relations will have the opportunity to "clear the clouds and see the sun".
Taiwan's China Times published an commentary article pointing out that at the symposium on the fifth anniversary of the historic meeting of cross-strait leaders held by the mainland, the "1992 Consensus" runs through the audience, and it also makes it clear that adhering to the "1992 Consensus" is a "problem of big right and wrong"; compared with the websites of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council published the relevant news that it convened a full-time party member meeting to convey and study the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the 6th, it can be read that the "1992 Consensus" is the bottom line of the mainland and must be adhered to.
Hong Kong "China Review News Agency" also made a comment: The mainland also reiterated that the adherence to the "1992 Consensus" is a major issue of cross-strait relations, and is a touchstone for testing whether it truly supports the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, safeguards the interests and well-being of compatriots on both sides of the strait, especially Taiwanese compatriots, and upholds national justice. To achieve this, there are no obstacles to any political party in Taiwan's interactions with the mainland. On the contrary, no exchange and dialogue can be discussed. It is completely unfeasible to bypass the "1992 Consensus" by carrying out so-called "no political premises" and "meaningful dialogues" between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. This is a reminder for the Kuomintang, not to lose direction on major issues; at the same time, I hope that the Democratic Progressive Party will recognize the general trend, face up to reality, and turn back is the shore!
The significance and enlightenment of cross-strait leaders to the historic meeting between the leaders of cross-strait. Liu Guoshen, director of the Center for Peaceful Development of Cross-strait Relations and a Distinguished Professor of the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University, emphasized in an interview that the dominance of cross-strait relations lies in the hands of the mainland. Liu Guoshen said, "We are full of confidence in the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and will not forget the fundamentals and structural aspects of cross-strait relations because of temporary setbacks. The territories of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not divided, the people are not divided, and sovereignty is not divided. Now is the issue of seeking the ultimate complete unification of China. We hope to achieve unity on more levels, including economic, social, cultural, medical standards, norms, etc. We must speed up the promotion of some of them."
