Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou will salute each other "mister" in their historic meeting in Singapore on Saturday, the Taiwan affairs chief of the Chinese mainland said Wednesday.
In line with the one-China principle, the two sides across the Taiwan Strait reached the pragmatic arrangement, showing the spirit of shelving difference while respecting for each other, said Zhang Zhijun, head of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
The two leaders will exchange views on promoting peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, discuss major issues on deepening cross-Strait cooperation in various areas and improving the people's welfare, in a bid to safeguard and further push forward peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, Zhang said.
The Xi-Ma meeting is arranged to take place in Singapore after various considerations, Zhang said, without giving more details.
The two leaders are expected to have a dinner after the meeting, Zhang said.
Zhang said the meeting is a "milestone" for cross-Strait relations, breaking through in direct exchange and communication between the two leaders, after hardships and twists since 1949.
The two sides across the Strait used to have drastic military conflicts and sharp political confrontation, till in the late 1980s when the two sides broke the ice in mutual isolation, Zhang said.
In early years of the 21st century, Zhang said, provocations from the Taiwan secessionist forces put the situation into crisis, when leaders across the Strait could not be imagined to meet face in face in such tension and turbulence in relationship.
In April 2005, Hu Jintao, then general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and then Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) Party Chairman Lien Chan made the first meeting between top leaders of the two political parties in 60 years.
They met in the name of two respective party leaders at that time.
"The realization of the meeting between Xi and Ma results from concerted efforts of both sides and all compatriots, benefiting from accumulated fruits achieved in the peaceful development of the cross-Strait relations," Zhang said.
