President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) are to discuss the transfer of power and cross-strait and diplomatic issues when they meet this week, officials handling the transition said.
Presidential Office Secretary-General Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) might meet today or tomorrow to finalize the date and venue of the meeting, a Presidential Office source said.
The meeting is likely to take place at the Presidential Office or the Taipei Guest House, but no final decision has been made, according to the source.
Ma has said he is looking forward to the meeting, which would give him a chance to discuss the transfer of power and public policies with Tsai to ensure a smooth transition to the next administration, which takes office on May 20, the source said.
The Presidential Office said Ma hopes to meet Tsai at the Presidential Office to exchange views on cross-strait and diplomatic issues, particularly after China resumed ties with former Taiwan ally the Gambia on March 17.
China’s move to establish ties was seen as a signal from Beijing that it was ending an unofficial diplomatic truce with Taiwan following Tsai’s election victory in January.
The DPP said Tsai is expected to talk with Ma about the next phase in the transition of power.
Transition teams from the DPP and the Presidential Office have completed the transfer of information about various government agencies’ operations, according to team members.
The information includes summaries of the Executive Yuan, and its ministries and agencies that cover their administrative operations, organizational structure, personnel quotas, budgets, progress on various projects and major policy blueprints.
The next phase is to involve the transfer of presidential power in the national defense and diplomatic realms, the team members said.
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