China has warned against the winner of the upcoming Taiwan leadership election deviating from the 1992 Consensus, the agreement between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland to adhere to the one-China principle.
"Without the common political foundation of the 1992 Consensus, political mutual trust and institutionalized consultation built upon the foundation would collapse," Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a press conference on Wednesday.
He made the remarks in response to reporters' requests for comment on the political stance of Tsai Ing-wen, the chair of Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party. Tsai has announced that she will run in the leadership election in January, but she has not yet clearly endorsed the 1992 Consensus.
The peaceful development of cross-Strait ties is based on upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing Taiwan independence, Ma said.
"Any responsible political party should make clear their stance on this fundamental issue," he added.
The mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation reached the 1992 Consensus in November 1992.
