Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-05-31

The head of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Katharine Chang, has denied media

(CNA)

reports suggesting that the MAC secretly communicated with its counterpart in Mainland China.

The Apple Daily recently published an article saying that Chang had passed a message to Zhang Zhujun, the head of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office. According to the article, Chang asked her Chinese counterpart to resume cross-strait exchanges because the one-China principle is part of Taiwan’s constitution. But China’s Zhang reportedly turned down the request, insisting that Taiwan recognize the 1992 Consensus.

The 1992 Consensus was long a basis of cross-strait ties. Under the consensus Taiwan and Mainland China agreed that both were part of “one China”, while agreeing to disagree on what “one China” means. President Tsai Ing-wen has not recognized the consensus since she took office in May last year. Beijing has responded by cutting off cross-strait dialogue.    [FULL  STORY]