Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou meet on Saturday afternoon at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, marking the first face-to-face exchange and communication between the two leaders across the Taiwan Straits since 1949. (Photo/China News Service)
Traversing nearly seven decades of vicissitudes in cross-Strait relations, Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou met and shook hands in Singapore, making Nov. 7 a day to remember for Chinese across the Taiwan Strait. [Special coverage]
In an unprecedented direct communication between leaders across the Strait, the two exchanged views on pushing forward the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations in an earnest and profound manner during a face-to-face meeting.
The landmark meeting will undoubtedly instill more confidence in a bright future of cross-Strait relations for compatriots on both sides, and proves to the international community that Chinese people across the Strait are fully capable of solving their own issues and jointly contributing to regional and global peace, stability and development.
This hard-earned achievement followed 66 years of cross-Strait history that have sailed through military confrontation and division to warming ties.
Since 2008, the two sides have signed 23 agreements. According to Ma, over 40,000 students have taken advantage of academic exchange programs, and now more than 8 million tourists travel between the two sides each year. Annual trade is now worth over 170 billion U.S. dollars.
The future can be foreseen by examining the past. Historical facts have proven that tension and confrontation can only bring misery while the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations is the correct path that benefits both sides.
During Saturday's closed-door meeting, Xi called for adhering to the common political consensus of the two sides, referring to the 1992 Consensus reached between the two sides that endorses the one-China principle.
Xi also called for consolidating and deepening the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, boosting well-being of people from both sides, and working together to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
People across the Strait are one family, and a traditional Chinese idiom has it that a harmonious family is the basis for all successes. As Xi said, the two sides should make further efforts to boost exchanges in various aspects to benefit people, tighten their emotional ties and consolidate mutual understanding.
With strengthened exchanges and dialogues, mutual trust and efforts to contain disputes, obstacles will be overcome and further breakthroughs can be achieved. It is sincerely hoped that responsible parties and individuals across the Strait will join forces to secure a brighter future for the two sides and ensure a peaceful and wonderful life for cross-Strait people and future generations.
Beijing just embraced its first snow of the season. As the Chinese saying goes, heavy snow promises good harvests next year. May the Xi-Ma meeting elevate cross-Strait exchanges to a higher level and bring bumper crops for many years to come.
