Taipei Times
Date: Nov 05, 2015
By: Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus yesterday said it has a positive
Members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus yesterday hold a press conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei to support Saturday’s planned meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
view of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), adding that China has made a concession by agreeing to meet Ma in a third country.
KMT caucus whip Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said there is no chance that Taiwan will be belittled at the meeting, as it is to take place in Singapore, rather than in Taiwan or China.
“Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) had hoped to meet with [the Chinese leader] during his term and so did former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). That Ma could now meet with the Chinese president is actually a breakthrough in the cross-strait relationship,” Lai said. “That the meeting is to take place in a third country rules out possible controversies and ensures mutual respect will be upheld.”
“Ma will be setting up a platform, which is similar to the one established by the Koo talks. It could be used by future leaders of the two sides to meet and discuss substantive issues,” he added, referring to the talks between then-Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫) and then-Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits president Wang Daohan (汪道涵) [FULL STORY]
