Government and Policy

Beijing welcomes Taiwan's new unitive wording

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-02-23 14:10

BEIJING - A Chinese mainland spokesman Wednesday expressed appreciation for Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou's remarks supporting the "1992 Consensus".

The mainland had noted and appreciated the remarks earlier this month, said Yang Yi, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office.

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He was commenting on the statements that Taiwan would stick to the "1992 Consensus" and Taiwan authorities would replace "China" with "the Chinese mainland" in official documents when mentioning the other side of the Taiwan Straits.

In November 1992, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation reached a common understanding during talks on routine affairs that they should express verbally that "both sides of the Taiwan Straits adhere to the One-China Principle."

"There is only one China," Yang said. "Although the two sides of the Straits have not been reunified, the fact that they belong to one China has never changed."

Asked to comment on remarks on cross-Straits relations by leaders of  Taiwan opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Yang reiterated that "1992 Consensus" and opposing "Taiwan independence" are the foundation of mutual political trust, without which cross-Straits relations would not improve.

"We hope the DPP would realize there is no way out for 'Taiwan independence' and hindering cross-Straits exchanges will not win people's support," Yang said.

Any Taiwan resident supporting the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations would be welcomed on the mainland if they came with "proper status," he said.