ROC President Ma Ying-jeou urged the new leadership of mainland China to continue peacefully developing cross-strait relations and bolstering exchanges across a spectrum of areas.
“Taipei-Beijing ties are at their highest point in six decades thanks to the efforts of both sides of the strait and their adherence to the 1992 consensus,” Ma said Nov. 15.
“In facing a swathe of global challenges, we need to strengthen mutual trust and cooperate sincerely to deliver peaceful dividends for the benefit of people on both sides.”
Ma, who doubles as chairman of the ruling Kuomintang, made the remarks in a congratulatory message to Xi Jinping, who took over from Hu Jintao earlier in the day as head of the Chinese Communist Party and mainland China’s military.
The president also sent a message to Hu, describing him as integral to the development of cross-strait ties over the past four years and resumption of institutionalized consultations that delivered 18 agreements and two consensuses.
In response, Xi said he hopes Taiwan and mainland China can expand and deepen exchanges with an eye to achieving even greater results.
Echoing Xi’s remarks, Hu said he expects cross-strait relations will go from strength to strength, with the KMT and CCP working together for the advancement of Taiwan and mainland China.
Separately, Liu Te-shun, deputy minister of the ROC Mainland Affairs Council, said the MAC expects Beijing’s cross-strait policy to remain unchanged despite the leadership transition.
“Mainland China has established a systematic Taiwan policy that is not likely to change during the course of cross-strait exchanges,” he said.
On the subject of signing a cross-strait peace pact, Liu said such an agreement is on the government’s long-term agenda with no plans in the pipeline to put it on the fast track.
“It will require more thinking and time to construct the content of a peace agreement between the two sides. At present, such a pact is not a top priority for the government,” he said.
The 1992 consensus is an informal, oral understanding that there exists only one China, inclusive of Taiwan and mainland China, with both sides agreeing to differ on its precise political definition. It has served as the basis for Taipei’s dialogue with Beijing since Ma took office in May 2008. (JSM)
Write to Rachel Chan at ccchan@mofa.gov.tw