The president stated that to promote peace, since taking office in 2008 he has actively worked to improve Taiwan's relations with mainland China. In the past 66 years, trade, investment, and tourism exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have never been more stable and robust than they are now. He pointed to the number of tourists to Taiwan as an example, saying that when he took office, mainland Chinese made about 200,000 visits to Taiwan each year, whereas nearly four million visited last year. In addition, the number of mainland students studying in Taiwan jumped from about 800 in 2008 to 32,000 last year. The cross-strait interaction between people has gradually fostered cordial relationships and mutual trust. Since the signing of the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement in 1999, both sides have captured over 6,000 suspects, the majority of which were engaged in fraud. The losses on our side caused by scams, which peaked in 2006 at NT$18.6 billion, dropped to NT$3.3 billion last year, a fall of 82%.
The president said that Taiwan and mainland China have found a mode for peaceful coexistence by upholding the principle of the "1992 Consensus" whereby each side acknowledges the existence of "one China" but maintains its own interpretation of what that means. He emphasized that the "1992 Consensus" was first proposed by Taiwan, and then accepted by mainland China. Although some people call this consensus a "masterpiece of ambiguity," nevertheless, it works, said the president. The two sides have shelved sovereignty disputes that cannot be resolved at present and focused on the issues that yield mutual benefit. Looking ahead, he stated, under the principle of the "1992 Consensus," i.e. "one China, respective interpretations," the two sides will continue to promote interaction and exchanges.
【Source: Office of the President】