The News Lens
Date: 2016/07/22
By: Chang Shin-wei
The Chinese side accuses President Tsai of officially denying for the first time the existence of the ‘1992 consensus.’ Taipei denies she did such a thing.
A Washington Post interview with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) published this week has predictably drawn criticism from Beijing, which claims that Tsai’s remarks were the first time she had officially denied the existence of the so-called 1992 consensus, a construct that China maintains is a prerequisite for communication between the two sides.
At the heart of Beijing’s bluster today was the following exchange in the interview:
Washington Post: Some academics say Xi has a certain deadline by which he wants you to agree to the ’92 consensus. Is that right?
Tsai: It isn’t likely that the government of Taiwan will accept a deadline for conditions that are against the will of the people. [FULL STORY]