Since 1949, China's state-owned news organizations have used the phrase "so-called" together with quotation marks to indicate their contempt for various political ideas. Now it's the turn of the Tapiei Times to abuse the quote marks:

Lien, Hu share 'vision' for peace

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) met with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) for more than two hours in Beijing yesterday and agreed to a five-point "vision for cross-strait peace" based on the so-called "1992 consensus."

If you want to know more about the Taipei Times editorial direction on this issue, read this opinion piece called What to do with Lien's treachery?

The piece ends with this statement:

Lien's latest betrayal can only have us wondering how long it will be before Taiwanese decide his antics must be stopped. English King Henry II once asked of Archbishop Thomas Becket, "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" We ask: Will no one rid Taiwan of this treacherous Lien Chan?"

On this side of the Taiwan Straits, the People's Daily has published an article titled Lien Chan's visit beneficial to cross-Straits relations: scholar:

"The DPP should ponder seriously which path Taiwan should pursue. I hope it will choose a new road other than 'Taiwan independence'," Huang [Jiashu, professor at People's University] said.

Xu Bodong, director of the Taiwan Research Institute under the Beijing Union University, said Lien Chan's visit is a major event in relations between the CPC and the KMT and also a major event in the cross-Straits relations.

"The people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits will benefit from their joint efforts to work for peace across the Taiwan Straits," said Xu. "They will turn a new page in inter-party relations and cross-Straits relations."

- All linked articles are in English.