Ma vows to keep boosting cross-strait ties

Touching on the issue in his National Day speech, Ma said the government's pragmatic approach in dealing with cross-Taiwan Strait issues has greatly improved relations and expanded scope of cooperation between both sides over the past year.

This is evidenced by the signing of nine pacts covering areas such as visits to Taiwan by Chinese tourists, direct air, shipping and postal links, food safety inspections and cross-strait crime-fighting cooperation, Ma said.

Currently, Taiwan is seeking to sign memorandums of understanding on financial supervisory cooperation and an economic cooperation framework agreement with China, he noted.

However, he pointed out, cross-strait differences and concerns are rooted in historical factors that cannot be overcome all at once.

“To achieve further peaceful development of our relations, both sides must remain patient, face the practical realities and move forward in a gradual, orderly manner, so as to build mutual trust and find common ground amid our differences,” Ma said.

In the process, he stressed, the government will ensure that the country's sovereignty and the people's well-being are protected.

According to Ma, the improvement of cross-strait ties is beneficial to Taiwan's relations with other countries as well.

Under his administration's policy of “flexible diplomacy,” the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have refrained from attempts to lure each other's diplomatic allies, which in turn has helped to stabilize Taiwan's relations with its diplomatic allies and enhance its international status, Ma said.

One such example, he said, was the breakthrough achieved during the 2008 Asia Pacific Economic forum in Peru, in which former Vice President Lien Chan was allowed to attend the leaders meeting, which made him the highest-ranking former R.O.C. official ever allowed to take part in the annual summit.

This year, Taiwan officially gained accession to the Government Procurement Agreement and was invited to attend the World Health Assembly — the World Health Organization's decision-making arm — as an observer for the first time, Ma noted.

In terms of Taiwan's progress in international sports events, Ma pointed out that he was allowed to formally open the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung in July and the 2009 Summer Deaflympics in Taipei in September in his capacity as president of the host nation, which was a first in both cases.

“Flexible diplomacy is diplomacy of integrity, humanitarian diplomacy, as well as soft-power diplomacy,” the president said. “It not only has given Taiwan more space to maneuver internationally, but has also won the respect of the international community.”

In related news, institutional investors said they see a better future for cross-strait relations, which will help boost the local stock market, based on President Ma Ying-jeou's remarks in his Double Ten National Day address.

They said that with the government's determination to further develop relations between Taiwan and China, the local stock market will benefit in the long term.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos Respond to this email