The chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), Lin Join-sane, says that President Ma Ying-jeou’s National Day speech will not affect cross-strait relations. The SEF handles relations with China in the absence of official ties.
During his speech on Friday, Ma called on China to move towards democracy and constitutionalism. He also gave his support for free and fair general elections in Hong Kong.
At a forum on Monday, Lin was asked whether Ma’s speech would affect the development of cross-strait relations. In response, Lin told reporters that China and Taiwan share the common goal of peaceful development. He said that the speech will not have any impact on the continued growth of cross-strait relations.