Taiwan and mainland China hold historic meeting

On 11 February, the minister of the Republic of China’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Wang Yu-chi, became the first MAC head to set foot on mainland Chinese soil.

Wang was on a four-day trip to Nanjing to meet his mainland Chinese counterpart Zhang Zhijun, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office, heralding a new chapter in cross-Strait relations. The meeting represents the first ministerial level cross-Strait official talks held between Taiwan and mainland China since 1949.

The two officials addressed each other by their official titles in their opening remarks, after which they went behind closed doors for their meeting.

After the first round of talks, both sides agreed to establish a regular communication mechanism to facilitate quick and efficient communication, highlighting the development of cross-Strait relations.

In a speech at Nanjing University the next day, Wang welcomed mainland students to visit Taiwan. ROC President Ma praised the “extraordinary significance” of this first formal meeting between the two top cross-Strait officials. He also said he hoped that Taiwan and mainland China will continue to expand and deepen exchanges on various fronts, preserving the established peace and prosperity between the two sides.

In a statement made on 11 February, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton welcomed the historic meeting of Taiwan’s top cross-Strait official with his mainland Chinese counterpart earlier the same day. “The event demonstrates the level of trust reached since the current process of rapprochement was established in 2008, with increasing people-to-people exchanges, practical cooperation and economic links,” she said.

Ashton “encourages both sides to continue to take initiatives that further develop cross-Strait relations in a peaceful way”. Taiwan’s ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement in response, saying that it welcomed and was grateful for the EU’s remarks. Other than the EU, the US also welcomed the meeting: “We encourage authorities in Beijing and Taipei to continue their constructive dialogue, which has led to significant improvements in the cross-Strait relationship,” Department of State spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

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