The third meeting between Taiwan's and mainland China's top officials in charge of cross-strait affairs represents the normalization and deepening of official interactions between the two sides, Premier Mao Chi-kuo said today after hearing the Mainland Affairs Council's (MAC) briefing on the May 23 talks.
Held in outlying Kinmen County, the meeting between MAC Minister Andrew Hsia and mainland China's Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun demonstrates both sides' resolve to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. It also signals the sides' commitment to using the "1992 consensus" as the basis for furthering cross-strait development.
Topics discussed at the meeting included negotiations on the cross-strait trade in goods agreement, establishment of reciprocal representative offices, and permitting mainland travelers to transit through Taiwan. With both sides keen to promote these issues, Mao instructed government agencies to quickly arrange follow-up negotiations so as reach agreements as early as possible.
Close coordination was required before and during the event among the MAC, the National Security Bureau, the National Police Agency and the Kinmen government. The premier thanked all agencies for their hard work to ensure a safe and successful event. He hoped the foundation laid during this event would help improve processes for future top-level meetings.