'1992 Consensus' beneficial to Taiwan's stability
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Xinhua, January 14, 2012
Taiwan's HTC Corporation chairwoman Cher Wang, or Wang Xuehong, on Friday called on Taiwanese to cherish the "1992 Consensus" between the island and the Chinese mainland and said that without the consensus, Taiwan would become an "unpredictable" society.
"It is hard to imagine cross-Taiwan Strait relations without the '1992 Consensus'," Wang said at a press conference one day ahead of the Jan. 14 Taiwanese leadership election.
Wang is the daughter of Wang Yung-ching, a late Taiwanese plastics mogul and Formosa Plastics Group's former chairman who died in 2008. As an "authentic" Taiwanese, Wang said the reason for her to speak to the press on the election eve is "out of her responsibility towards Taiwanese society."
"For entrepreneurs, a stable and peaceful society is a prerequisite for innovation," she said, adding that peaceful cross-Strait relations and the "1992 Consensus" could make her company innovate. HTC cell phones are one of the most popular brands across the United States, Europe, Taiwan and the mainland, featuring innovative technologies.
In a three-way race for Taiwan's leadership, incumbent Taiwan leader and the ruling Kuomintang chairman Ma Ying-jeou, who is seeking a second term, is competing with major opposition Democratic Progressive Party chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen and People First Party chairman James Soong.
The "1992 Consensus," which was a hotly debated issue during election campaigns, was advocated by Ma and Soong, but was denied by Tsai.
In November 1992, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan's Strait Exchange Foundation reached an agreement stating that both organizations have verbally acknowledged that "both sides of the Taiwan Strait adhere to the one-China principle." The "1992 Consensus" has since served as a significant basis for cross-Strait negotiations and development.
Chang Yung-fa, founder and chairman of Taiwan's Evergreen Group, told the press earlier this month that the "1992 consensus" is in the best interests of Taiwan.
It was the first time the 84-year-old tycoon, whose business spans shipping, aviation, transportation and associated services, had publicly thrown his weight behind the consensus.
The consensus is existential and is "a foundation for cross-Strait dialogue," Chang said.
Kaohsiung's E United Group chairman Lin Yi-shou said the "1992 consensus" was mutually beneficial for both sides, adding that it was "the only and best way to narrow Taiwan's south-north growth gap."
Other Taiwanese entrepreneurs who have recently expressed support for the "1992 consensus" include Douglas Tong Hsu, chairman of the Far Eastern Group, Frank Liao, chairman of Chi Mei Corp, Wang Wen-yuan, president of Formosa Plastics Corporation, and Terry Gou, chairman of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd.
Meanwhile, representatives of Taiwan's small and medium-sized companies said earlier that damage to the "1992 consensus" would "spoil the future opportunities of Taiwan."
They predicted that once cross-Strait relations paused or regressed, Taiwan's GDP would lose at least 700 billion New Taiwan dollars (23.3 billion U.S. dollars), a drop of 6 percent.
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