China, Taiwan hold historic talks

Beijing: The chief officials on cross-Taiwan Strait affairs from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan met formally Tuesday afternoon for the first time since 1949.Zhang Zhijun, head of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, held a formal meeting with Wang Yu-chi, Taiwan's mainland affairs chief, who arrived in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Tuesday morning on a four-day visit, Xinhua reported.The two sides aim to open a regular communication channel between their cross-Strait affairs departments, Zhang said in an opening speech at the meeting.The communication channel is a result of deepening mutual political trust on the basis of adhering to the "1992 consensus", according to Zhang."I believe, with this arrangement, the two sides will improve exchanges, understanding and mutual trust, and better handle outstanding problems in cross-Strait exchanges," he said.Exchanges between the mainland and Taiwan had stalled since the Kuomintang, led by Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taiwan in 1949 after being defeated in a civil war.Business and personnel exchanges resumed in the late 1980s, and in the early 1990s the two sides started to engage with each other through the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), and its Taiwan counterpart, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF).The ARATS and SEF are non-governmental organisations founded in 1991 and 1990, respectively.ARATS-SEF talks have speeded up since 2008 and produced a number of important cross-Strait agreements, including an agreement to lift the ban on direct shipping, air transport and postal services in 2008 and the long-awaited Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement in 2010.The meeting between Zhang and Wang, the sitting cross-Strait affairs chiefs from the two sides, is considered an important breakthrough in promoting cross-Strait relations and may lead to regular exchanges of visits in the future.The two diplomats first met informally on the sidelines of the economic leaders' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Bali, Indonesia, last October when they agreed to hold mutual visits.In his speech, Wang described his meeting with Zhang as "an unimaginable occasion in earlier years"."Being able to sit down and talk is a really valuable opportunity, considering that the two sides were once almost at war," he said in the address.Zhang agreed with him that such a meeting would have been impossible earlier and called for "a little more imagination" regarding cross-Strait relations."We meet under great attention and expectations and bear great responsibilities," noted the mainland's Taiwan affairs chief.He said he believed the two sides are heading in a straightforward direction and would not take long to fulfill their purposes.Zhang also expressed his willingness to visit Taiwan in the near future, telling his visitor: "As chief officials on cross-Strait relations, we should talk more and understand each other more. I think people on both sides will welcome that."Cross-Strait relations have survived many ups and downs in the past 65 years and have evolved from military and political confrontation in earlier years to their historic turn toward peaceful development in 2008, Zhang said."Today's cross-Strait situation has been hard-earned through the efforts of generations. We should cherish it and work together to maintain this favourable momentum," he added. "We should be determined to avoid any further fluctuations and setbacks." Wang said Taiwan would like to push forward cross-Strait relations under the “1992 consensus".