Tsai could meet Xi, but only as equals

CHINESE RELATIONS: The president said people expressed their attitude so clearly in the elections that it would be impossible to maintain ambiguous cross-strait ties

Staff writer, with CNA





President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday said that she would consider meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) as long as it was on an equal footing.

In an interview with SET News, Tsai said that she would be willing to meet with Xi based on the four principles she says are needed to stabilize the relationship across the Taiwan Strait: peace, parity, democracy and dialogue.

“We hope cross-strait interactions will take place based on such a foundation,” Tsai said. “We will consider any form of interaction” with China based on the four principles.

President Tsai Ing-wen smiles during a TV interview on Era News’ political talk show Face News on Monday. Photo courtesy of Era News

Tsai, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won a second term on Jan. 11, beating her closest rival, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), by more than 18 percentage points.

In her victory speech on election day, Tsai said that her win was an indication of the value Taiwanese place on democracy, and unveiled her four principles.

According to Tsai, “peace” means that China must abandon threats of force against Taiwan, while “parity” means that neither side of the Taiwan Strait should deny the other’s existence.

“Democracy” means that the future of Taiwan must be decided by the nation’s 23 million people and “dialogue” means that the two sides must be able to sit down and discuss the development of cross-strait relations, she said.

Beijing has responded to Tsai’s four principles by reiterating its advocacy of the so-called “1992 consensus” — a formula China sees as advocating Taiwan belonging to “one China.”

The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.

Tsai and the DPP have long rejected the “1992 consensus.”

Beijing has not hinted at any possibility of Tsai meeting Xi, but the media has continued to ask about her willingness to meet with him.

During the interview, Tsai said she hoped that China would listen carefully to what Taiwanese implied with their votes, especially when considering policies on Taiwan.

“Taiwanese loudly said that they cannot accept China’s ‘one country, two systems’ formula, because Taiwan is a free and democratic society, and each person is used to this lifestyle,” Tsai said.

In a speech in January last year, Xi proposed unifying Taiwan with China using the “one country, two systems” formula, and did not rule out using force to do so.

“People in Taiwan have expressed their attitude very clearly and many countries have explained the election outcome in such a way,” Tsai said.

Tsai said she would prioritize peace and stability when dealing with China.

Taiwan must be able to defend itself sufficiently to ensure peace and stability, which means not only focusing on its weapons-building capabilities, but also on purchasing defense equipment from other countries, she said.

When asked whether Taiwan could protect itself if China uses force against it, Tsai said she has faith in the nation’s self-defense capabilities, but emphasized that more must be done to strengthen its defenses and ensure peace.

In a separate interview with Era News, Tsai said that it would be impossible for Taiwan and China to keep their ties as ambiguous as they are, as Taiwanese have expressed their attitude clearly.

“This election had the advantage of reflecting the will of Taiwanese so that China could clearly hear public opinion,” she said.