Taipei Times
Date: Jul 25, 2016
By: Lin Liang-sheng / Staff reporter

Xinhua news agency on Saturday accused President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of raising tensions between Taipei and Beijing by saying that her administration is unlikely to accept the so-called “1992 consensus” if it is against the public will.

Xinhua criticized the remarks Tsai made in an interview with the Washington Post that was published on Thursday, in which she said the government would not accept a deadline for conditions that are against the will of the people — in response to a question on whether she would agree to the “1992 consensus” by a certain deadline.

The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Beijing that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means. Former former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) said in 2006 that he had made up the term in 2000.

Tsai’s government has repeatedly used public opinion as an excuse to refuse to accept the “1992 consensus” and her interview as the latest attempt to fill out “an answer sheet that she has to, but has not yet completed,” Xinhua said     [FULL  STORY]