President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he expected the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to deepen cooperation on economic and trade issues, and pledged to strengthen trade relations with the US and other nations as well as resolving the US beef imports dispute.
Ma discussed cross-strait development yesterday as he met with members of the delegation that will attend the Boao Forum on the Chinese island of Hainan from tomorrow to Tuesday. The delegation will be headed by former foreign minister Fredrick Chien (錢復) in his capacity as top advisor to the Cross-Strait Common Market Foundation.
Vice president-elect Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) will also attend the forum as a senior advisor of the foundation. He is scheduled to meet Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) on Sunday and address cross-strait issues. Li is expected to be promoted to premier during the next transition of power in Beijing.
Wu’s meeting with Li will attract intense scrutiny, following the controversy over the “one country, two areas” concept put forward by former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) during a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) in Beijing on March 22.
Ma yesterday lauded Chien for pushing for cross-strait economic exchanges via the foundation, and said he expected the nation’s attendance at the forum to help deepen the economic ties between Taiwan and China.
“This year is crucial in the continuous development of cross-strait relations, and the government will continue to adopt a cross-strait policy that will bring more possibilities for cooperation between the two sides,” Ma said at the Presidential Office.
Ma also pledged to develop Taiwan’s trade relations with the US and other nations, as the government plans to relax the ban on US beef containing ractopamine residues.
“We are hoping to solve the US beef issue and other trade problems, so that we can start negotiations with the US on the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and resume normal trade relations with our third-largest trade partner. This is a major goal for us,” he said.
According to a Chinese source, China is eager to learn more about Wu when he attends the economic forum.
Wu will reportedly be greeted by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Wang Yi (王毅) when he arrives at Sanya Airport in Hainan. As China has not had much chance to learn about Wu, it is hoping to discover more about this “new friend” at the conference, and foster an understanding between the No. 2 leaders on both sides of the Strait, the Chinese source said, referring to the expected meeting between Wu and Li.
In addition to Wu, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp chairman Schive Chi (薛琦) and Lu Shyue-ching (呂學錦), the chairman of Chunghwa Telecom who also serves as president of the Cloud Computing Association of Taiwan, will take part in group discussions on different themes. Another focus at the forum may be the possible meeting of world flat panel leaders, including Hon Hai Group chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) and Samsung Electronics Co chairman Lee Yoon-woo.
Additional reporting by CNA
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