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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, April 28, 2002

Historical Facts About 'One-China' Consensus: Article

The Taiwan authorities were on Saturday urged to clearly acknowledge "1992 consensus" and endorse the stand of both sides of the Taiwan Straits in persisting in the "one-China" principle.


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The Taiwan authorities were on Saturday urged to clearly acknowledge "1992 consensus" and endorse the stand of both sides of the Taiwan Straits in persisting in the "one-China" principle.

In an article on Saturday, the Association for Relations Across Taiwan Straits (ARATS) said on January 24, Chinese Vice-Premier Qian Qichen expounded on the significance of the "1992 consensus" for restarting dialogue between ARATS and the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) in Taiwan and for breaking a political deadlock, but the Taiwan authority had stuck to an attitude of denying and distorting the consensus.

"Therefore, dialogue and negotiations between both sides of the Taiwan Straits have again become a focus of attention for compatriots across the straits," said the article.

The article said it was necessary to remember the "1992 consensus" and its content in a bid to safeguard the foundation for negotiations between ARATS and the SEF, unveil the importance of negotiations across the both sides of Taiwan Straits, and clarify the Taiwan authority's distortion and vilification of the consensus.

ARATS, headed by Wang Daohan, and the SEF in Taiwan, led by Koo Chen-fu, reached a verbal consensus in November 1992 to the effect that "both sides of the (Taiwan) Straits adhere to the 'one-China' principle" and "strive for the reunification of the country".

The Chinese mainland had always advocated solving bilateral disputes, and realizing the reunification of the motherland via peaceful negotiations, said the article.

Exchanges of different kinds, including trade and economic, across the Taiwan Straits have kept increasing since late 1987 when the state of isolation for compatriots living on both sides of the Straits was broken.

"To deal with actual problems arising from the exchanges, the Taiwan authority had to adjust its three-no policy of "no contact, no concession and no negotiation" and specially set up SEF which was put in charge of contacting and negotiating with the Chinese mainland over problems occurred," the article said.

Taking into consideration that the Taiwan authorities had clearly stated in relevant documents they would persist in the " one-China" principle and pursue the reunification of the motherland, and the SEF's tenet of being Chinese, well-meaning and serving, the Chinese mainland agreed to hold negotiations by setting up ARATS in December 1991 to promote exchange and improve relations across the Taiwan Straits, and safeguard legitimate rights of compatriots across the Straits.

At the start of negotiations about affairs concerning both sides of the Taiwan Straits, ARATS put forward that it was necessary to persist in the "one-China" principle in negotiations and agreements, though the political content may not be discussed as long as the "one-China" stand is advocated, and the ways to express "one-China" could be fully discussed.

On August 1, 1992, the "national reunification committee" in Taiwan also reached a conclusion about the content of "one-China".

The conclusion shows that the Taiwan authorities acknowledged Taiwan is part of China's sovereign territory and "both sides of Taiwan Straits persist in 'one-China' principle", and pursue the stand of reunifying with the Chinese mainland.

On August 27, ARATS leaders commented on the conclusion by saying it recognized both sides of the Taiwan Straits insisted on the "one-China" principle, and it was a common understanding that the "one China" principle should be advocated in negotiations, though the Chinese mainland showed disagreement with the expression by a relevant Taiwan organization about "one-China".

ARATS leaders said the Chinese mainland advocated "peaceful reunification, one country and two systems", and would always oppose the stand of "two Chinas", or "one China, one Taiwan," or " two equal political entities".

From October 28 to 30, 1992, ARATS and the SEF held negotiations over the use of notarized documents across the Straits in Hong Kong, and representatives from both organizations put forward 10 different definitions about the ways to express the issue of persisting in the "one-China" principle in the agreements, but failed to reach a consensus.

SEF representatives soon suggested that both sides could state their stands orally and added three other oral expressions. ARATS representatives were asked to take down the verbal expressions about the "one-China" stand tabled by the SEF.

The eighth version of the oral expression stated that in the process of both sides of the Taiwan Straits making concerted efforts to pursue reunification, both sides persist in the "one- China" principle, but they differed regarding the content "one- China".

Through studying the eighth version of the oral expression, ARATS believed that the expression showed the Taiwan authority's and SEF's attitude of pursuing reunification, persisting in the " one-China" principle, though definition about the "one-China" may differ due to a difference in understanding.

On November 3, SEF informed ARATS of the oral expression about one China it tabled being approved by the relevant leading department in Taiwan.

ARATS agreed to the SEF's suggestion of stating the "one-China" attitude based on their respective oral explanations in a letter sent to the SEF on November 16, but emphasizing both sides of the Straits persist in the "one-China" principle and work hard to pursue reunification, without talking about the political meaning of one China in negotiations of affairs concerning both sides of the Straits.

The SEF showed no disagreement in its letter of reply to ARATS on December 3.

A Summary of the Wang-Koo Talks published by the SEF in August 1993 also recorded that the SEF took an active attitude in considering talks between Wang Daohan, ARATS leader, and SEF chief Koo Chen-fu after both organizations agreed to orally express their respective attitudes toward the "one-China" principle.

The article stressed that the historical facts of the consensus reached by ARATS and SEF were quite clear: both ARATS and the SEF had worked hard to seek common points while reserving differences in explaining the political content of one China.

While hailing the Wang-Koo talks as a success, the article said the 1992 consensus played an important role in improving and promoting relations across the straits because the consensus made it possible for construction of a systematic mechanism regarding negotiation and liaison, for holding of a range of other negotiations, starting up political dialogue across the Straits.

"Though 1992 consensus was an orally expressed common understanding, there are clear literary documents taken down to record its process of creation and content so that nobody or no political forces could ever deny or distort it," said the article.

The article urged the Taiwan authorities to return to the stand of both sides of the Taiwan Straits persisting in the "one-China" principle, seeking common points while reserving differences, laying aside political bias, facing the future and holding negotiations in a pragmatic manner.



1992 Consensus
PD Commentary on 1992 cross-Straits Consensus

The "1992 consensus" is a consensus reached by mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) in Hong Kong in 1992, which agreed by ARATS and SEF to express orally and respectively that "both sides of the Taiwan Straits adhere to the 'one-China' principle", the commentary said. Full Story

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