Mainland's Taiwan affairs chief makes groundbreaking visit

g Zhijun (L), director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council, meets with Taiwan's mainland affairs chief Wang Yu-chi in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan, June 25, 2014. It was their second meeting this year. Wang visited the mainland in February. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

Zhang Zhijun made a long-awaited trip on Wednesday as he became the first Taiwan affairs chief from the Chinese mainland to visit the island in 65 years.

Zhang, head of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office (SCTAO), held a formal meeting with Wang Yu-chi, Taiwan's mainland affairs chief, in Taoyuan, north of the island, at the start of his four-day visit.

This was the second formal meeting between the chiefs of cross-Strait affairs from the mainland and Taiwan. Wang visited the mainland in February.

"The overall situation of cross-Strait relations has been stable and new progress has been made this year," Zhang said during the meeting. "Despite some new circumstances, the direction of peaceful development of cross-Strait ties has not changed and exchanges and cooperation in various fields have not been suspended," he said, adding that the fundamental reason for these trends is that promoting peaceful development of ties is the mainstream opinion of both sides.

Zhang called for enhanced trust, exchanges and political basis between the two sides to ensure the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations is not interrupted.

During their meeting, the two sides acknowledged that mutual visits between cross-Strait affairs chiefs from both sides are a key part of the communication mechanism set down during the first formal meeting, said SCTAO spokesman Ma Xiaoguang at a press briefing after the meeting.

Hailing the two-hour Zhang-Wang meeting as "an important step" to implement the mechanism, Ma said the two sides agreed to improve the regular communication channel between their departments, deepen exchanges, and settle prominent problems in the development of cross-Strait ties.

The two sides also agreed to push forward follow-up agreements to the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, explore practical ways to jointly develop their economy, and join in regional cooperation.

They agreed to continue negotiation on allowing the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation to set up offices on each other's side and tackle left-over issues "as early as possible."

The two sides will also try to settle issues concerning mainland travelers' transfer trips via Taiwan and further facilitating cross-Strait personnel exchanges.

In addition, the two agreed to foster the cross-Strait tourism market and promote cultural, educational, scientific and media exchanges.

"My flight from Beijing to Taipei took me less than three hours. But it took us 65 years to make that flight possible," Zhang said during the meeting.

He said mutual visits made by himself and Wang within six months and the setting up of a communication mechanism between cross-Strait affairs authorities on both sides of the Strait would have been "unimaginable" in earlier years.

While extending his welcome to Zhang, Wang Yu-chi said cross-Strait relations had witnessed "twists and turns," and even the smallest progress had not come easily. His meetings with Zhang over the last six months were the result of shelving differences and seeking win-win solutions. The meetings are the best proof of steady progress toward peace and stability, he said.

Zhang expressed hope that both sides can enhance mutual political trust, step up communication and cooperation, and boost grassroots exchanges between people, especially the younger generation, from both sides of the Strait.

Comparing cross-Strait ties to a boat sailing against the current, Zhang urged both sides to "keep forging ahead or risk being left lagging behind."

"As long as people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait work together, we will be able to overcome the current difficulties and attain new development in cross-Strait ties, which will benefit all," he said.

Zhang is scheduled to spend four days on the island, paying visits to New Taipei City, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Changhua County.