1992 Consensus sounds bland, but really matters: Taiwan's Ma

The 1992 Consensus is the primary basis of peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, which "sounds bland but really matters," said Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou on Friday.

Ma made the remarks while meeting with senior Taiwan politician Vincent Siew, who represented the island at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting on Nov. 10-11 in Beijing.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with Siew at the People's Great Hall on Nov. 9, urging the two sides to develop mutual trust based on the common political commitments of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence."

The meeting showed the two sides' common willingness to continuously enhance the cross-Strait ties based on the consensus, said Ma.

Ma also hailed the Wednesday meeting of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office head Zhang Zhijun, and Taiwan's mainland affairs chief Wang Yu-chi, as "pretty harmonious."

"The two shared the aspirations of trying to seek progress while maintaining stability in cross-Strait ties development," he added, referring to economic cooperation and follow-up negotiations on agendas of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA).

The ECFA -- which includes goods and services pacts, as well as investment protection and dispute resolution channels -- was signed in June 2010 in a bid to liberalize trade between the mainland and Taiwan. However, the service trade has been bogged down by student protests since March.

The protests had no significant impact on cross-Strait relations, Ma said, adding that "we certainly hope [the ECFA] will be completed within 18 months", in an interview with the Nikkei Asian Review on Thursday.

According to Ma, Taiwan and the mainland have enhanced ties over the past six years, with 21 agreements signed, annual trade reaching 160 billion U.S. dollars, and more than 8 million people crossing the strait each year.

Under such circumstances, it is only natural for the two leaders to meet to push forward cross-Strait ties, he added.

The Taiwan leader praised achievements at the recent Beijing APEC summit in the interview, saying a new model for interaction has been formulated between the U.S. and the mainland.

"They have reached firm understandings on military matters, trade issues and carbon cuts, which are basically beneficial to the whole world," Ma added.

Their agreement to expand the World Trade Organization's (WTO)Information Technology Agreement to lift tariffs on more products is especially good news for Taiwan, as the island's economy is heavily reliant on the IT industry, he said.