Xi-Ma Meeting a Breakthrough in Cross-Strait Relations

Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou shook hands in Singapore on November 7, 2015 at the first formal meeting of leaders from the two sides of the Taiwan Strait since 1949. This signifies a historic step in cross-strait peaceful development.

Owing to different political systems and the intervention of external powers, the Taiwan Strait was at one time at the forefront of the Cold War. This situation imposed the pain of separation on those living on both sides of the Strait. It also had negative impact on peace and stability in the AsiaPacific region as a whole.

As early as 1956, the Chinese government wrote a letter to Chiang Kai-shek expressing the wish that he make a trip to the homeland upon Taiwan reuniting with the mainland. Chiang also sent his envoy to the mainland to meet the PRC’s first generation of leaders, and meanwhile considered resuming peaceful talks. At that time, however, cross-Strait relations were strained and unstable to an extent that made this impossible. Cross-Strait relations began to thaw in November 1992, when the two sides reached a consensus on the one-China principle. In 1993, Wang Daohan met with Koo Chen-fu in Singapore to launch a cross-Strait exchange mechanism. The meeting in 2005 between Hu Jintao and Lien Chan opened new prospects for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

Since 2008, cross-Strait ties have indeed made steady progress and achieved the “three direct links” of mail, transport, and trade. Each year the trade volume between the mainland and Taiwan is in excess of US $170 billion. There are also eight million person/trips between the two sides annually, and exchange programs involving more than 40,000 students. Political mutual trust having been enhanced, the two sides hold meetings periodically. Maintained stability in the Taiwan Strait has brought wide commendation from international society.

The Xi-Ma meeting has deepened political mutual trust and is of groundbreaking significance in signaling face-toface exchanges and direct dialogue between leaders of the two sides. It therefore lays a more solid foundation for bilateral exchanges and interactions at various levels, and for cooperation in different areas on stable, healthy development of cross-Strait ties.

Both leaders having endorsed the 1992 consensus on the “one-China principle,” the meeting also consolidated the common political foundation for peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and hence of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. The meeting demonstrates the resolve of both sides to take the path of peaceful development, and has bolstered the confidence of people on both sides of the Strait in that respect.

It has moreover expanded and deepened cross- Strait exchanges and cooperation, so bringing people on the two sides closer together, and encouraging more compatriots across the Strait to join in the great revival of the Chinese nation. Finally, the meeting demonstrates the resolve and willingness of both leaders to shoulder their responsibilities and show that the Chinese people on both sides of the Strait have the ability and wisdom to solve their own problems.

As Xi Jinping remarked at the Xi-Ma meeting: “Blood is thicker than water.” Ma Ying-jeou also said: “Today’s crossStrait relations are the most stable and peaceful since 1949. Over the past few years, I have constantly seen students from both sides of the Strait having discussions and carrying out research on university campuses in Taiwan. It is uplifting to see how wholeheartedly they study, play musical instruments and laugh together. All are passionate and innovative, feel no hostility towards one another, and carry no emotional baggage. They establish friendships early in their lives, so forming the foundation for lasting peace across the Strait.”

People on the two sides of the Strait share same roots; the Xi-Ma meeting and the innovative policy it denotes embodies the bond of blood between them.

Professor Dennis V. Hickey of Missouri State University commented that the U. S. believes differences across the Strait need to be resolved through peaceful means. As the U.S. supports dialogue and communication between the mainland and Taiwan, the Xi-Ma meeting correlates with longstanding U.S. policy in this regard, and conforms to U.S. interests.

Moreover, innovations to cross- Strait policy will augment political mutual trust, and open up more mechanisms and routes for Taiwan to participate in regional cooperation, thus promoting regional economic integration.