BEIJING -- A Chinese mainland spokesman warned that the "1992 Consensus" is a prerequisite for talks and negotiations between the mainland and Taiwan, and that denying it will jeopardize these talks.
Yang Yi, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks at a regular press conference here Wednesday.
In November 1992, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation reached the consensus during talks on routine affairs, during which each of the two organizations verbally acknowledged that "both sides of the Taiwan Strait adhere to the one-China principle."
The cross-Strait relationship has never been, and will never become, a "state-to-state" one, Yang said, adding that the denial of the "1992 Consensus" and sticking to the "Taiwan independence" stance will push cross-Strait relations back and harm the peaceful development of these relations.
Moreover, Yang stressed that the two sides of the Strait can have some contact and exchanges on military issues to ease relevant concerns as well as talk about a military security mechanism of mutual trust.
Yang also refuted rumors that the mainland is encouraging Taiwanese investors on the mainland to return to Taiwan and vote for Ma Ying-jeou, the incumbent Taiwan leader and candidate of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party running in the upcoming Taiwanese leadership election, saying that these rumors are "completely groundless."
The mainland will not intervene in the Taiwan election, Yang said.
Moreover, when asked about concerns that the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, China's homegrown satellite system providing positioning, navigation and timing operational services, may impact peace across the Taiwan Strait, Yang said these worries are totally unnecessary.
Instead, the Beidou system will serve the Taiwan people and benefit people on both sides of the Strait, Yang said.
