Vice president-elect Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) met Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) yesterday afternoon in Hainan, an event hailed by the US as “the best way forward” for Taiwan and China.
The meeting, held on the sideline of the Boao Forum for Asia, made Siew the highest-ranking elected Taiwanese figure to come face-to-face with a Chinese leader since 1949. Siew attended the forum in his capacity as chairman of the Cross-Strait Common Market Foundation, a non-profit organization he founded.
During 20-minutes of talks, Su and Hu said they wanted closer economic ties. They sat side by side after shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries.
PHOTO: AP
Siew, who was accompanied by a 12-member Taiwanese delegation, said that closer economic relations between China and Taiwan would facilitate regional stability and improve the lives of ordinary Taiwanese and Chinese.
Siew expressed hope that Taiwan and China would set aside their disputes with pragmatism and work together to create a bright future that will see a win-win scenario.
“Economic development is the mutual expectation of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait,” Siew told Hu, calling himself an “old soldier” of economic policy.
Hu said he looked forward to seeing the two sides pursue a consensus amid changing social and economic situations.
“I’d like to exchange ideas with Mr Siew on the issue of economic cooperation across the Taiwan Strait,” Hu said in televised remarks.
Both avoided politics in the live broadcast portions of their meeting.
A report by China Central Television (CCTV) later yesterday said that Hu also asked Siew to send his regards to president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰). CCTV did not refer to the trio’s titles in its report.
Siew, a veteran of the economic forum, has attended it since 2003 and met Hu there in the past. However, the meeting this time round took on much greater significance as Siew is now vice president-elect. He will assume office on May 20.
In a brief statement after his meeting with Hu yesterday, Siew said the meeting was “very frank, friendly and achieved results,” without elaborating.
During the meeting, Siew suggested “facing reality, inventing the future, putting aside controversy and seeking a win-win situation,” said KMT Legislator Su Chi (蘇起), a member of Siew’s delegation.
Siew suggested that direct cross-strait links could start with the implementation of weekend charter flights, Su said, adding that Siew also talked of opening Taiwan to Chinese tourists, normalizing cross-strait economic relations and trade, and reviving mechanisms for cross-strait negotiation.
Later last night, Chinese authorities issued a statement on the meeting in the form of a CCTV report.
“We will continue to push for cross-strait exchanges in areas such as economy and culture, continue to push for cross-strait weekend charter flights and negotiations on issues concerning visits by Chinese to Taiwan,” CCTV reported. “We will continue to care for the wellbeing of Taiwanese compatriots, safeguard the rights of Taiwanese compatriots and push for cross-strait negotiations.”
Asked to describe the atmosphere of the meeting with Hu, Su said: “Good chemistry, harmonious chemistry.”
“We’re basically trying to break ice that is eight years thick. We want to break the ice and usher in a new period in cross-strait relations with economics, trade and investment,” he said.
Yesterday morning, Siew met former Philippine president Fidel Ramos and was expected later to hold talks with former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke.
Commenting on the meeting between Siew and Hu, Lin Chong-pin (林中斌), former vice minister of defense and president of the Taipei-based Foundation on International and Cross-strait Studies, said “the visit signals in concrete terms a beginning of detente across the Strait. So far that [detente] has only been atmospheric,” he said.
The US has endorsed the meeting and other such cross-strait meetings as “the best way forward.”
US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte made the comment in response to questions by Taiwanese reporters after he made a speech on US-Asia relations in Washington on Friday.
Asked about the expected Siew-Hu meeting, Negroponte said: “We believe that the best way to settle differences over the Taiwan Strait is by peaceful means and we think that dialogue between the People’s Republic of China and the authorities, the leaders in Taiwan, is the best way forward.”
“So, yes, I would say that [a Siew-Hu meeting is] a good way forward,” he said.
Earlier, in a keynote address at a conference of the US Asia Pacific Council, the Washington arm of Hawaii’s East West Center, Negroponte said that the US is “committed to the resolution of any differences that may exist between China and Taiwan over [cross-strait issues] to be settled by peaceful means.”
He also said tthat Ma’s election would help advance cross-strait dialogue.
“We think that the recent election and the rejection of the referendums that were put forward actually opens up the possibility of a new dialogue between the PRC and the political leaders of Taiwan,” Negroponte said.
“So I emphasize to you our commitment to stability, our commitment to the resolution of these issues by peaceful means and our desire to see the dialogue take place as the best way to move forward,” he said.
The statements from Negroponte echoed and augmented those by US President George W. Bush, who, in his message of congratulations to Ma on his victory, called on both sides to engage in dialogue.
Bush gave the same message to Hu five days after the election, when he telephoned Hu and stressed the need for cross-strait talks.
This new emphasis on dialogue by the Bush administration seems to reflect a sense of relief in the administration at the defeat of the Democratic Progressive Party candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and the impending end of the presidency of Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who has alienated the Bush administration over the years.
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
A Vietnamese migrant worker yesterday won NT$12 million (US$379,627) on a Lunar New Year scratch card in Kaohsiung as part of Taiwan Lottery Co’s (台灣彩券) “NT$12 Million Grand Fortune” (1200萬大吉利) game. The man was the first top-prize winner of the new game launched on Jan. 6 to mark the Lunar New Year. Three Vietnamese migrant workers visited a Taiwan Lottery shop on Xinyue Street in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (崗山), a store representative said. The player bought multiple tickets and, after winning nothing, held the final lottery ticket in one hand and rubbed the store’s statue of the Maitreya Buddha’s belly with the other,
‘NATO-PLUS’: ‘Our strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific are facing increasing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party,’ US Representative Rob Wittman said The US House of Representatives on Monday released its version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes US$1.15 billion to support security cooperation with Taiwan. The omnibus act, covering US$1.2 trillion of spending, allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, as well as US$150 million for the replacement of defense articles and reimbursement of defense services provided to Taiwan. The fund allocations were based on the US National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 that was passed by the US Congress last month and authorized up to US$1 billion to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in support of the
‘COMMITTED TO DETERRENCE’: Washington would stand by its allies, but it can only help as much as countries help themselves, Raymond Greene said The US is committed to deterrence in the first island chain, but it should not bear the burden alone, as “freedom is not free,” American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said in a speech at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s “Strengthening Resilience: Defense as the Engine of Development” seminar in Taipei yesterday. In the speech, titled “Investing Together and a Secure and Prosperous Future,” Greene highlighted the contributions of US President Donald Trump’s administration to Taiwan’s defense efforts, including the establishment of supply chains for drones and autonomous systems, offers of security assistance and the expansion of
RSS