Advertisement
Li Keqiang says Taiwan’s politicians welcome for talks if they accept there is ‘one China’
- Premier reiterates that ‘1992 consensus’ should be basis for dialogue and says Beijing ‘will continue to promote peaceful development of relations’
- Taipei says it should ‘take note of the mindset of the Taiwanese people and refrain from using political terms to hold back amicable interaction’
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
25
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday reiterated that Beijing welcomed dialogue with any political parties from Taiwan, but only if the island accepted that there was only “one China”.
His remarks, at the closing press conference of the annual legislative session in Beijing, come at a time of heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
Official exchanges have been suspended since Tsai Ing-wen was elected president of the democratic island in 2016 and refused to accept the “1992 consensus” as the basis for relations – that there is only one China but the two sides can have different interpretations of what that means.
Li said any Taiwanese political party or politician was welcome to discuss cross-strait relations with Beijing provided they did so under the one-China principle and the 1992 consensus. The premier was the only senior leader to publicly comment on Taiwan at this year’s National People’s Congress session.
“We will continue to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and the reunification of the motherland, and we oppose any form of Taiwan independence and foreign interference into Taiwan affairs,” Li said.
He added that Beijing would continue to offer favourable policies to encourage Taiwanese businesses to seek opportunities on the mainland.
Advertisement