TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) proposition to stick to the so-called “1992 Consensus” belongs to a bygone era, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said on Thursday (Jan. 11).

During a recent interview with Deutsche Welle, Ma said that Taiwan has no choice but to believe Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) when it comes to cross-strait relations.

Lai said that Ma overlooked a crucial aspect, which is that consensus has been repeatedly defined by Xi as the “one China” principle, Liberty Times reported. If you follow the “1992 Consensus”' to the end, Taiwan will become like Hong Kong, which is not the path that Taiwanese wish to take, Lai said. 

The presidential hopeful said that he and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) will strengthen national defense, boost economic strength, and stand with democratic allies to form a deterrent force. He said he believes this is the correct approach to safeguard Taiwan's security and maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

He emphasized the importance of voting on Jan. 13 to choose Taiwan’s future path and urged people not to push Taiwan closer to China and bow to authoritarianism.