Mainland opposes 'Taiwan independence' in any form: spokesperson

BEIJING -- The Chinese mainland is firmly opposed to "Taiwan independence" activities in any form by any person, a spokesperson said.

Fan Liqing, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office (SCTAO), made the remarks when commenting on the scheduled visit by Tsai Ing-wen, chair of Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), to the United States. Tsai is the DPP's candidate for the island's 2016 leadership election.

Fan said adhering to the "1992 Consensus" and opposing the political basis of "Taiwan independence" were key to safeguarding the peaceful development of the ties between the mainland and Taiwan, and the peace and stability on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

In November 1992, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation reached a common understanding that each of the two organizations should express verbally that "both sides of the Taiwan Straits adhere to the One-China Principle." At Wednesday's press conference, Fan also confirmed that the mainland and Taiwan are in communication on arrangements for a meeting between the two cross-Strait affairs chiefs, SCTAO head Zhang Zhijun and Andrew Hsia, mainland affairs chief in Taiwan.

The two were scheduled to meet on Feb. 7-8 in Kinmen. The meeting was postponed as the two sides focused on the aftermath of the TransAsia Airways crash in Taiwan on Feb. 4, when more than 40 people, including both Taiwanese and mainlanders, were killed.