China tells Taiwan to uphold ‘1992 Consensus’ to resume talks

ANKARA

China said Wednesday that stalled talks with Taiwan could resume if Taipei acknowledges the 1992 Consensus, which upholds the one-China principle.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China, alleged at a news conference in Beijing that a “stubborn adherence” to the separatist position of "Taiwan independence" adopted by that island nation’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) since 2016, is the key reason for the political stalemate.

The “1992 Consensus” relates to a historic meeting on cross-strait relations between semi-official representatives of China and Taiwan that year.

Zhu accused DPP officials of “distorting” and “rejecting” the 1992 Consensus, which she said is undermining the foundation for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and consultation and exchanges between the two sides.

Her statement was after recent remarks on cross-strait ties from Frank Wu, the new chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), a semi-official organization set up by the Taiwanese government to handle technical and business matters with China.

“Taiwan remains an inalienable part of China's territory -- a fact that has never changed and cannot be changed,” said Zhu, "This is not only a historical fact and legal basis, but also the status quo.”

China considers Taiwan a "breakaway" province while Taipei has maintained its independence since 1949.​​​​​​​