2016年CRI Xi's Speech on Taiwan Well Received

 

Speaking to a group of lawmakers from Shanghai on Saturday, Xi Jinping says any suggestion of 'Taiwan independence' will be "contained resolutely¹." 

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 Consensus², 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 interpretation³ 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 Forum⁴, 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 blurring⁵ 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 disastrous⁶ instability." 

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

The relationship between the two sides hit a milestone⁷ 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. 

For CRI, this is Li Jianhua.

1 resolutely   

adj.坚决地，果断地

参考例句：

• He resolutely adhered to what he had said at the meeting. 他坚持他在会上所说的话。
• He grumbles at his lot instead of resolutely facing his difficulties. 他不是果敢地去面对困难，而是抱怨自己运气不佳。

2 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

3 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

4 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

5 blurring   

n.模糊，斑点甚多，（图像的）混乱v.（使）变模糊( blur的现在分词 )；（使）难以区分

参考例句：

• Retinal hemorrhage, and blurring of the optic dise cause visual disturbances. 视网膜出血及神经盘模糊等可导致视力障碍。 来自辞典例句
• In other ways the Bible limited Puritan writing, blurring and deadening the pages. 另一方面，圣经又限制了清教时期的作品，使它们显得晦涩沉闷。 来自辞典例句

6 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

7 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。