On April 7, 2023, 73-year-old Ma Ying-jeou returned to Taoyuan Airport for an interview after a 12-day trip to his hometown to worship his ancestors.
The "consensus of '92" is a familiar and unfamiliar term to many Chinese; it is familiar because it always appears in news broadcasts whenever cross-strait issues are involved, and it is strange because 1992 is a long time ago.
China and the United States established diplomatic relations and issued the "Letter to Taiwan Compatriots"
On January 1, 1979, China and the United States established diplomatic relations. At the same time, the United States terminated diplomatic relations with the "Republic of China" and the "Sino-US Mutual Defense Treaty" and entered into unofficial exchanges with Taiwan in accordance with the "Taiwan Relations Act."
On the same day, the National People's Congress (NPC) issued its fifth "Letter to the Taiwan Compatriots," replacing the original slogan of "liberating Taiwan" with "resolving the Taiwan issue by peaceful means." At the same time, Chinese Defense Minister Xu Xiangqian issued a statement on the cessation of shelling of the Kinmen Islands since 1958.
In the face of 30 years of cross-strait estrangement, Chinese mainland first released goodwill. In response, Chiang Ching-kuo responded with the policy of "no engagement, no negotiation, and no compromise."
Taiwanese veterans' homecoming movement
On Mother's Day in 1987, tens of thousands of Kuomintang veterans took to the streets to hold a rally in the name of "Mother's Day Wishes Mother". The veteran wore a white shirt with the red "Homesick" printed on the front, followed by "Mom, I miss you so much", and sang the song "Mother, Where Are You": "The geese are flying around, in the white clouds; Yan'er, I want to ask you, where is my mother......"
After months of protest, on October 15, 1987, the Taiwan authorities announced that they would open the door to family visits. Chiang Ching-kuo's "three noes policy" existed in name only.
92 Hong Kong talks
With the development of cross-strait personnel exchanges, various problems have also arisen. In order to resolve these problems, the two sides of the strait have respectively authorized the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) to hold talks.
In 1992, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) held talks in Hong Kong to discuss issues such as "document verification" and "registered mail." After the conclusion of the talks in Hong Kong, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and the Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF) exchanged a series of letters and telegrams on the proposal for upholding the one-China principle.
The eighth formulation proposed by Taiwan's Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF) is: "Although both sides uphold the one-China principle, they have different understandings of the meaning of one China" (later summarized as "one China, each with its own interpretation" or "one China, with its own interpretation").
In its reply letter, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait put forward the following formulation: "Both sides of the Taiwan Strait uphold the one-China principle and strive to seek national reunification. However, in the cross-strait routine talks, the political connotation of one China is not involved" (some people later summarized this as "one China on both sides of the strait" or "one China does not express one"), and the eighth proposal put forward by the SEF was attached to this reply letter in the form of an annex.
Although the two sides of the strait agreed on the one-China principle in the exchange of letters and telegrams after the talks, there were big differences on how to express the political meaning of one China.
93 Wang-Koo talks
Whether a consensus was reached in 92 years later, there were many differences between the parties. However, the consensus on the one-China principle expressed in the letter did exist, which directly contributed to the holding of the Wang-Koo talks in '93.
Under the mediation of Lee Kuan Yew, then Singapore's Senior Minister of State, the "Wang-Koo talks" on behalf of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and the Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF) were held in Singapore. After three consecutive days of intensive consultations, on the morning of 29 April 1993, the two sides signed four transactional agreements, namely, the "Agreement on the Verification of Cross-Strait Notarial Certificates," the "Agreement on Compensation for Inquiries by Registered Mail Across the Strait," the "Agreement on the System of Contacts and Talks between the Two Associations," and the "Joint Agreement on the Wang-Koo Talks." The successful holding of the Wang-Koo talks symbolizes the thawing and development of cross-strait relations, which has attracted the attention of the international community and welcomed by the Chinese community.
From 1994 to 2008, cross-strait relations were tested many times
On March 31, 1994, the "Hai Rui" sightseeing ship was robbed and killed in Qiandao Lake in Hangzhou, and four Taiwanese tourists, eight mainland crew members and tour guides were robbed and burned to death on board.
Because the murder case involved Taiwan tourists, it was interpreted by the Taiwan side as politicized, causing a sensation and strongly impacting cross-strait relations.
After that, Lee Teng-hui visited the United States and dished out the "two-state theory," which once again brought cross-strait relations to a freezing point.
After that, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government, which pursued Taiwan's "independence," came to power. The political basis for the development of cross-strait relations no longer exists.
In 2008, Ma Ying-jeou returned to the '92 Consensus, ushering in the most peaceful period between the two sides of the strait
Since Ma Ying-jeou came to power in 08, the two sides of the strait have returned to the "92 Consensus" and entered "the most peaceful and stable period since 1949".
The two sides of the strait have frequent high-level interactions, reached a framework agreement on economic cooperation, and signed 23 agreements.
The "three links" were officially launched, the "one-day living circle between the two sides of the strait" gradually took shape, and the number of mainland passengers, mainland students, and mainland investors to Taiwan was officially established, with more than 18 million mainland tourists going to Taiwan, and the number of mainland tourists increased by more than 40 times to 35,000.
Taiwan can participate in international organizations in the name of "Chinese Taipei", such as the World Health Assembly (WHA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Trade Information and Cooperation Agency (AITTC), and the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).
In 2016, Tsai Ing-wen came to power, and cross-strait relations returned to the freezing point
Since May 2016, the DPP authorities have refused to recognize the "92 Consensus", which has directly led to the suspension of consultations and negotiations between the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and Taiwan's Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF), the suspension of the liaison and communication mechanism between the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, and severe challenges to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Changes in the number of mainland tourists to Taiwan
Present and future
Under the DPP government's long-term "de-Sinicization" policy, the "92 Consensus" has become smaller and smaller in Taiwan, and even many deep-blue Kuomintang politicians feel that the "92 Consensus" has become a political burden. Hou Youyi, who was running on behalf of the Kuomintang this time, avoided talking about the "consensus of '92."
In the 1992 talks, there were already differences, but with the political wisdom of shelving disputes between the two sides of the strait, the "92 Consensus" was reached by seeking common ground while reserving differences, and the "92 Consensus" (which was officially named by Su Chi, chairman of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council for the first time in 2000), allowed room for different expressions by others under the framework of one China.
It is hoped that in the future, the Chinese on both sides of the strait will also be able to use their wisdom to handle their relations and avoid fighting each other and being too anxious to fry each other.