By Bob Lee
It is time to remove the ambiguity.
Immediately after the historic Xi-Ma meeting in Singapore some two months ago that culminated in the first handshake of the two rival leaders in 66 years, theGlobal Times in Beijing ran an editorial headlined “1992 Consensus ensures lasting cross-straits peace,” claiming the meeting’s biggest highlight was that both sides had shown a strong commitment to the “one China” principle.
Ironically, the last-minute drama on the eve of Taiwan’s general election, when teen pop star Chou Tzuyu apologized for waving a flag of the Republic of China in a video clip, tore to shreds the 1992 Consensus – supposedly the cornerstone and prerequisite for peaceful cross-straits relationship. This incident also became the final straw that broke the back of the pro-unification Nationalist Party (KMT) in its most disastrous election rout.
Mainland netizens reacted angrily towards Chou’s ROC flag-waving episode, accusing the singer of “earning RMB while holding a pro-independence stance.” The incident raises these critical questions: Do Mainland audiences properly understand the true meaning behind the untested consensus? Has the Mainland and its powerful propaganda apparatus ever appropriately explained the 1992 Consensus to the public? Far more importantly, to what extent, scope and scale can Beijing allow Taipei’s different interpretations of one China?
Read the full story at The Diplomat