She called a press conference, the second one in as many days,to declare she espoused what Su Chi, a former MAC chairman, calls the consensus of 1992.

The incoming China policy coordinator used to be a Taiwan independence activist, a protege of former President Lee Teng-hui.

“I have faith in the agreement on one China with a different interpretation as the consensus of 1992,” Lai told reporters.

It was a reiteration of her proselytism professed before the press Wednesday night with P.K. Chiang, chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, as a witness.

But what she said is a mere play of words. According to Su Chi, who is expected to be secretary-general of the National Security Council, the consensus of 1992 is an unsigned agreement on “one China with a different interpretation.” Lai has just changed the wording.

On the other hand, Lai stressed she is going along with Ma Ying-jeou’s litany of “no independence,” “no unification” and “no use of force” across the Taiwan Strait.

“Fundamentally,” Lai pointed out, “there’s no difference, no disagreement, between us.”

Whatever she said, there’s a big difference in interpretation of the consensus of 1992, a sine qua non for resumption of dialogue between Taiwan and China.

President George W. Bush, in a recent telephone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, called for dialogue across the Strait “on the basis of the 1992 consensus.”

The fact is that the consensus is nothing but a low-level semi-diplomatic aide memoire — it can be denied anytime to suit one’s purpose — that enabled C.F. Koo, SEF chairman, to meet his Chinese opposite number Wang Daohan twice to settle a few outstanding issues across the Strait.

Wang was chairman of the Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait.

Under the unsigned agreement, both Beijing and Taipei acknowledge there is but one China whose definition can be orally and individually expressed. It’s a modus vivendi.

Beijing stresses the “one China” principle without its “different interpretation” corollary. The Kuomintang insists Taiwan has the right to interpret that one China as the Republic of China.

Hu Jintao’s “one China” is the People’s Republic of China, of course.

Lai had to meet the press twice in a row after Ma Ying-jeou, the president-elect, came under fire from within his own Kuomintang for having his premier-designate Liu Chao-shiuan name her as the new MAC chief.

With or without explanation, Lai could hardly convince anyone that she isn’t going to be Ma’s loyal supporter. Ma had her appointed as a counterbalance to P.K. Chiang and to slow down the new Beijing bandwagon on which Kuomintang leaders are jumping.

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