Political observers in Taiwan are suggesting comments made by Chinese President Xi Jinping over the weekend are sending a clear message to authorities on the island.

Speaking to a group of lawmakers from Shanghai on Saturday, Xi Jinping says any suggestion of 'Taiwan independence' will be "contained resolutely."

In making the statement, he says the mainland's policy toward Taiwan is not going to change, regardless of the politics in Taiwan, saying the mainland and Taiwan are historically linked.

Shih Hsin University professor Yu Tzu-hsiang says Xi Jinping's comments resonate with a lot of people in Taiwan.

"From his comments I believe he understands the historical situation by noting the break up of China has been a historical tragedy that should never happen again. His comments have also conveyed the message that people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait are brothers and sisters, sharing a community of common destiny."

As part of his speech, Xi Jinping says mainland authorities will continue to adhere to the 1992 Consensus, saying its the political foundation for cross-straits development.

Yu Tzu-hsiang says Xi Jinping's message is abundantly clear.

"Anyone who knows the development and history of cross-Strait ties knows clearly that it hasn't been easy for either side to walk away from the fight for their version of China. But the situation today has been achieved thanks to common understanding, based in large-part by the 1992 Consensus. If we don't keep this as the key principle of the relationship, it will be difficult to handle any future problems."

The 1992 Consensus saw both sides agree that there is only one China, and that both sides can maintain their own interpretation of what that means.

The mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office has been stressing the importance of adhering to the "1992 Consensus" following the election of Democratic Progressive Party chief Tsai Ing-wen in the local elections in January.

Hsieh Minghui, Executive Director of the Taiwan Competitiveness Forum, a Taiwan-based think-tank, says any moves by Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen toward shifting policy away from the 1992 Concensus would not be a good move.

"It is necessary to admit the 1992 Consensus. If we ran in the opposite direction of this consensus, the political foundation between Taiwan and Chinese mainland would disappear and how could the 23 agreements and three consensus we signed in the past last on? If Tsai Ing-wen kept blurring the 1992 Consensus and the fact that each side of the Taiwan Strait is a country, then cross-Strait ties, like President Xi said, would walk from peaceful development to disastrous instability."

Cross-straits ties have been developing rapidly over the past few years.

The relationship between the two sides hit a milestone in November when Xi Jinping and Taiwan leader Ma Ying-Jeou met face-to-face in Singapore - the first time the leaders from either side have met since 1949.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)