Kuomintang candidate Hou Youyi finally expressed his views on the "92 Consensus" as the 2024 Taiwan regional leadership election is approaching.
Taiwan ** reported, Hou Youyi said in an exclusive interview: "I agree with the '92 consensus' that conforms to the 'Chinese ** Constitution', oppose the '92 consensus' of 'one country, two systems', and resolutely oppose the '92 consensus' distorted by Tsai Ing-wen."
In this regard, Chen Binhua, the new spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, responded that the core of the "92 Consensus" is that both sides of the strait belong to one China, which is the key to determining the nature of the Taiwan Strait, and is also the basis for the peaceful development of the two sides of the strait.
Hou Youyi's remarks were interpreted by the island's ** as "one identity and two opposition", believing that this is a continuation of Ma Ying-jeou's cross-strait policy, and it also means that Hou Youyi has taken a clearer position on the cross-strait issue, no longer evading the "one China" principle and the "92 consensus", and launched a "straight ball showdown" with the first candidate Lai Qingde.
Judging from the election situation on the island, Hou Youyi's current proposal of "one agreement and two opposition" is actually inheriting Ma Ying-jeou's cross-strait viewpoint, so his remarks have also been recognized by some Ma Ying-jeou supporters.
Objectively speaking, the most eye-catching word in Hou Youyi's statement this time is the "consensus of '92" opposing "one country, two systems."
The "one-China" principle and the "consensus of '92" are conditions that can promote the reunification of the motherland determined by the two sides of the strait after years of exploration, but they are not necessarily related to "one country, two systems," and "one country, two systems" is only a possible mode of governance, which is essentially different from the "consensus of '92."
To put it simply, the key to the "'92 consensus" that can embody the "one-China" principle is the "one-China" principle, that is, both Taiwan and the mainland are part of one China, and this is the premise and foundation for cross-strait political consultations and the realization of peaceful reunification, and is also the fundamental principle for safeguarding the interests of the motherland.
The issue of the mode of governance can be negotiated according to Taiwan's situation, but there can be no compromise on the issue of the "one China" principle, so it is obvious that "one country, two systems" is inferior to the "92 consensus" that can embody the "one China" principle in terms of priority.
As for what kind of governance style Taiwan hopes to adopt after reunification, this is actually a matter of consultation after reunification.
The mainland often mentions the "one country, two systems" model to plan Taiwan's future governance plan because of the successful experience of Hong Kong and Macao, which is a mature case in the past, but whether or not to draw on this experience depends on the actual situation and is decided through cross-strait consultations.
Therefore, Hou Youyi's statement that opposes the "'92 consensus of one country, two systems" sounds a bit harsh, but in fact it does not affect the core of the "'92 consensus."
Understanding this, and looking at the "1 identity and 2 opposition" proposed by Hou Youyi now, in fact, we can clearly feel that the Kuomintang has begun to gradually express its attitude on cross-strait policy, and is no longer led away by the green *** who is controlled by ***.
Whether it is from the angle of cross-strait reunification or from the angle of the KMT's election situation, it is necessary and a good thing to make clear our own stand.
But on the other hand, when Hou Youyi expressed the "92 Consensus," he used such complicated language and so many modifiers, which actually reflected the Kuomintang's unfirmness or caution.
From the mainland's point of view, the "'92 Consensus" has been in line with the respective laws of the two sides of the strait since the day it was born, and now when Hou Youyi answers this question, he especially adds the "'92 Consensus" that conforms to the "Chinese Constitution" and opposes the "one country, two systems" and the "'92 Consensus" that has been misunderstood.
The spirit of the "consensus of '92" is to seek common ground while reserving differences and create a possible space for cross-strait exchanges, and this basis for "seeking common ground while reserving differences" must be simple and clear, so that the people on both sides of the strait can understand it as soon as they hear it.
The "consensus of '92" was actually put forward to answer a very simple question, that is, whether the two sides of the strait are one country, and adhering to the "consensus of '92" means recognizing that the two sides of the strait are one country, and opposing the "consensus of '92" means denying that the two sides of the strait are one country.
There are only two answers to this question, yes or no, and Hou Youyi has added so many modifiers now, a bit like he wants to create a "third answer", but any act of creating an answer on this question is speculative and unfirm on the issue of national interests.
In the past few years, the KMT has been distorting, slandering, and misinterpreting the "92 Consensus", resulting in the KMT now having all kinds of concerns when mentioning this issue, and it does not dare to directly say that it supports the "92 Consensus", otherwise it will be attacked by **.
On the other hand, Hou Youyi's "speculative mentality" also fully shows that there are still some people in the Kuomintang who are unwilling to talk about the issue of reunification, and they are avoiding the historical proposition that both sides of the strait belong to one China and must be reunified.