President-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday pledged in front of incumbent President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) that he will not resume negotiations if Beijing is only willing to talk about the "one-China" principle, without accepting that it is open to different interpretations."If China were to say that there is only 'one China', but no room for separate interpretations of both sides, then I am sorry to say that there is nothing to talk about," said Ma during a meeting with Chen yesterday morning.
Ma's pledge came after his predecessor Chen warned in the meeting that the so-called 1992 consensus could be harmful not only to Taiwan's sovereignty, but also to its ties with China, and to its future destiny.
The Chinese government has never said it will accept different interpretations of the one-China principle, or as Ma and his Kuomintang argued, that "one-China's refers to the Republic of China and not the People's Republic of China, Chen noted.
He urged Ma to think twice before backing the consensus between Taiwan and Beijing, as Ma said previously that he would use it as a foundation for re-opening cross-strait talks.
In reaction to Chen's warning, Ma, who will take over the presidency on May 20, reassured Chen by stressing that he will not sacrifice Taiwan's interests when seeking to improve ties with China. \
"I will protect the country's sovereignty when you pass the administration to me," Ma said to Chen.
Ma reaffirmed that he loves Taiwan no less than Chen, saying that they both were simply deploying different policies toward the mainland.
"Now it's our turn to run the government, so let us try with our method," said Ma to his predecessor.
Ma reiterated that the consensus, struck between the two sides in the year 1992 without a written record, is not the most satisfying version for either sides, but it is a compromise platform where both Taiwan and Beijing may find common ground to revive negotiations.
Ma said he understood that he could not convince Chen about the consensus during their brief meeting, but added that he will reach out to China under the consensus to open different dialogue channels in the future.
The consensus can help to ease the cross-straits tension if both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the United States can agree on it, Ma said.
Aside from the debate between the two on the existence of the 1992 consensus, for the most part the meeting yesterday was held in a cordial atmosphere.
Chen first congratulated Ma on his victory in the presidential election, saying that the age of the conflicts between anti- and pro-Chen camps will be over after he retires on May 20th, and that the upcoming age belongs to Ma.
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