TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP lawmakers on Wednesday said KMT Chair Cheng Li-wen’s (鄭麗文) remarks during a China visit misrepresented Taiwanese public opinion after she met Taiwan Affairs Office Director Song Tao and emphasized the “1992 Consensus.”
DPP caucus chief executive Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said Cheng described the consensus as enduring and claimed abandoning it would destabilize the Taiwan Strait, per Liberty Times. He criticized her for presenting it as a way to shape Taiwan’s destiny, calling it “frightening” to treat unification as a peaceful option.
Chuang said Chinese leader Xi Jinping had already rejected the idea of “one China, different interpretations” in a 2019 speech marking the “Message to Compatriots in Taiwan” and in a 2022 white paper. Xi instead defined cross-strait relations as “both belong to one China.”
He also questioned Beijing’s intentions, noting China had imposed a 40-day no-fly zone while continuing military intimidation against Taiwan, while inviting Cheng to visit as a “younger sister.” He accused the KMT of blocking the central government budget and arms procurement bills in exchange for opportunities to engage with China.
Responding to Cheng’s claim that she represents mainstream opinion, Chuang cited a National Chengchi University poll showing that identification as Chinese had fallen to a record low of 2.5%, while 62% identified as Taiwanese. He said the vast majority of Taiwanese do not believe that accepting “one country, two systems” or the 1992 Consensus would allow them to control their destiny.
DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) added that a Mainland Affairs Council poll in late March found 81% opposed one country, two systems, while 70% supported the special defense budget. She accused Cheng of packaging a minority view as mainstream opinion, calling her a “master of public opinion fraud.”
Fan also called on KMT figures, including Legislative Deputy Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), who will run for Taichung mayor, and KMT legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), the Kaohsiung mayoral candidate, to clearly state their positions if they do not agree that the “1992 consensus“ equates to one country, two systems.
During the Nanjing meeting, Song said, “compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have the ability and wisdom to resolve their own family matters.” Fan rejected the remark, saying Taiwan cannot accept such a framing. She added that some international observers believe Cheng’s visit ahead of a possible Trump-Xi meeting was aimed at portraying cross-strait issues as China’s internal affairs and weakening Taiwan-US ties.
Chuang stressed that democracy is Taiwan’s only path forward, describing China as an authoritarian state. He said Taiwan’s peace depends on strengthening its own capabilities, not relying on a single politician, especially a party chair who travels to China claiming to represent mainstream Taiwanese opinion, “which would terrify the Taiwanese public!”
