Ma interviewed by ex-Vice President Lu

This marked the first time in Taiwan's history that an ex Vice-President interviewed the incumbent president, and also represented the first official interaction between leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties.

The interview at the Presidential Office lasted one hour and 15 minutes. Lu, who served as vice president between 2000 and 20008, raised such issues as whether the “(Taiwan-China) 1992 consensus” actually exists, the proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) that Taiwan is set to sign with China in the first half of this year and whether Ma is considering convening a national affairs conference.

According to Wang, Ma shunned none of the questions, although he and Lu disagreed on some of the issues, especially the “1992 consensus.”

The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit agreement that both Taiwan and China accept the “one China” principle, with respective interpretations on the definition of “one China.”

It serves as the basis for the resumption of cross-strait negotiations after a nearly 10-year hiatus following Ma's assumption of the presidency in May 2008.

However, the controversy surrounding the consensus has never been resolved, as China only stresses the “one China principle,” while Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang (KMT) prefers the right to define the meaning of “one China.” The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) holds the viewpoint that there is in fact no “1992 consensus” at all.

Wang said the interview was carried out in a friendly and natural atmosphere, and President Ma didn't sidestep any sharp or sensitive questions. But both Ma and Lu failed to reach any consensus on the “92 Consensus” concerning the national identity of Taiwan.

Lu described the meeting as a “national affairs dialogue,” but the Presidential Office defined Ma's meeting with Lu as a kind of “media interview,” which was not much different from the other media's interviews with Ma, according to Wang.

He said the only major difference is that the Presidential Office has shown proper respect for the ex-Vice President, such as Secretary General, Liao Liao-yi, of the Presidential Office personally welcoming the arrival of Lu at the grand door of the office, and the Public Affairs Office offering video-recording service for the interview at the request of the Formosa Weekly.

Wang continued that Lu filed an application to conduct an interview with Ma before the president kicked off his latest trip to Central America, and the Presidential Office quickly showed positive response to Lu's request, showing Ma's great sincerity to communicate with opposition leaders.

Wang stressed that the Presidential Office would be happy to see a similar dialogue between Ma and DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen.

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