Returning from his high-profile visit to Hong Kong, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday briefed Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) about his five-day trip -- a trip that Tsai said was a fine example to help boost cross-strait exchanges.
"It was a good beginning. But, I hope that similar cross-strait city exchange trips in the future will remain transparent and much less politicized," Tsai said after their 40-minute closed-door meeting, adding that local governments should work with the central government in conducting cross-strait exchanges.
Tsai added that Ma's trip was an isolated case and played a part in cross-strait relations since no law, so far, governed such cross-strait visits made by elected mayors. She therefore said that the council would fully review the trip's effects and relax related laws to allow visits across the strait by more government officials in the future.
In response, Ma said that he had explicitly reported to the council on the trip's purpose, itinerary and outcome for cross-strait policy-making reference purposes since he once served as the council's vice chairman and fully understood the rules governing such trips.
"After all, we are all in the same boat in terms of progress toward the development of cross-strait relations," Ma said, adding that he hoped his trip helped improve Taiwan-Hong Kong relationship.
Ma also made suggestions to the council that it relax the restrictions on Chinese in Hong Kong and Macau from entering Taiwan by making procedures for them to obtain Taiwan visas easier.
During his stay in Hong Kong, Ma attracted huge crowds and much media attention wherever he went. Even when he went jogging in the early mornings, he was closely followed by many camera crews. His meeting with Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) on Tuesday was a particular success of his trip, earning him the most media attention of his trip. Many international media organizations had speculated therefore that China had attempted to take advantage of Ma's trip to embarrass President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in terms of handling cross-strait development.
Despite being Chen's former and potential future rival, Ma, however, rejected such suggestions out of hand yesterday.
"We are not sure whether China had attempted to do so. Even if that was the case, it did not work because I kept telling the Chinese officials to heed the goodwill extended by President Chen, urging them not to misjudge Chen's ability to handle cross-strait relations," Ma said yesterday.
Ma later paid a visit to KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰), who gave his high approval of Ma's visit.
Lien said he hoped that, following Ma's trip, more DPP mayors and commissioners would be allowed to make trips to China. Lien was referring to Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) rejected plan to visit China's Xiamen last year.
Ma, in addition, said his visit to Hong Kong would come ahead of a planned conference in Shanghai later this year to be attended by a group of Taiwanese mayors, which will mark the highest level of contact between Chinese and Taiwanese officials in 52 years.
Two years ago, Taipei City Government reached an agreement with the Hong Kong Policy Research Institute to launch the Hong Kong-Taipei Two-City Forum, which seeks to promote exchanges in the fields of education, culture and the environment. Moreover, Ma yesterday said that the forum would possibly be expanded to a three-city forum, including Shanghai.
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