President Ma Ying-jeou says cross-strait visits made by Taiwanese and Chinese officials in charge of cross-strait issues are more than just a symbol of friendship. Ma was speaking on Tuesday while meeting with a delegation from the University of Tokyo.
Taiwan and China have signed 21 agreements. Top negotiators from both sides visited each other’s countries in February and June this year. These marked the highest level meetings ever made since both sides have been ruled separately for 65 years.
Ma said the visit of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office director Zhang Zhijun in June was an important development in exchanging views about joining regional trade pacts. The pacts are the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Meanwhile, Ma commented on the progress of ties between Taiwan and Japan in the last few years. Japanese investment in Taiwan increased after the signing of the Taiwan-Japan investment agreement in 2011. The president also said now is the most stable period in Taiwan-Japan ties since both countries broke diplomatic ties in 1972.