Taiwan affairs office reiterates commitment to peace

The Chinese mainland is willing to work with all political parties in Taiwan, including the Kuomintang, to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and benefit compatriots on both sides, a mainland spokesman said Tuesday.

Chen Binhua, a new spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, was responding to remarks from Taiwan's Kuomintang candidate for the 2024 election, Hou Yu-ih, regarding the 1992 Consensus.

Hou said he recognized the 1992 Consensus for the first time in an interview with Taiwan media on Monday.

Chen said the 1992 Consensus was reached through negotiations between the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and the Straits Exchange Foundation in 1992. Its core meaning is both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China.

This consensus serves as the political foundation for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and is key to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, he said.

From 2008 to 2016, both sides of the Strait built mutual trust based on the consensus and jointly created a situation of peaceful development in cross-Strait relations, which has brought tangible benefits to compatriots on both sides, he added.

Chen expressed willingness to maintain positive interactions, strengthen mutual trust and enhance communication with parties on the island on the basis of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence".