The issue of the “1992 consensus” will have an impact on Taiwan’s foreign relations, and Taiwan will suffer greater suppression in worldwide organizations in which China has a presence, he said. Beijing hit back at the criticism, saying the island had “no right” to be invited.
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President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) should address the “1992 consensus” in her speech on the upcoming Republic of China national day, in an effort to improve cross-Taiwan Strait relations and bolster Taiwan’s economy, a leader in the business community said Friday.
Taiwan saw a boom in mainland tourists under former Beijing-friendly president Ma Ying-jeou, with Chinese visitors accounting for about 40 percent of the total 10 million visitors in 2015.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said arrangements for the assembly, scheduled from September 27 to October 7 in Montreal, did not follow the pattern ahead of a previous such meeting in 2013, when China had asked for Taiwan to be invited.
“(It) is a great loss for global aviation safety and the public’s right to welfare protection”, the MAC said in a statement.
Only sovereign states have the right to participate in institutions and activities within the United Nations framework, Lu said while answering questions. The island’s failure to secure an invitation this year reflects the increasingly strained ties between Beijing and Taipei since Tsai, who supports Taiwan’s political independence from China, took office in May. “While arrangements had been made for their attendance at the last (38th) session of the assembly, there are no such arrangements for this one”.
On the same day, spokesman for the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office Ma Xiaoguang said that the reason that Taiwan can not participate in the ICAO assembly is that Taiwan’s current Democratic Progressive Party administration refuses to recognize the 1992 Consensus, which endorses the one-China policy, according to Xinhua. “In organizations that require statehood for membership [such as the ICAO], the United States supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation”. The agency appointed China’s Fang Liu as secretary-general past year.
“The United States remains committed to supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in ICAO”, Grace Choi, a spokesperson at the State Department’s East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau said when asked to comment on the issue.
“The government expresses strong regret and dissatisfaction”, foreign minister David Lee told reporters.
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The decrease in Chinese tourist groups has anxious Taiwan’s travel industry, prompting people in the sector to stage a protest earlier this month to demand that the government take action to deal with the matter.
