Authorities in Taiwan and China are giving different reasons for the cancellation of a high-level meeting that was scheduled between the two sides this weekend.
Taiwan’s top China policy-maker, Wang Yu-chi, was set to meet his Chinese counterpart, Zhang Zhijun, on the offshore island of Kinmen on Saturday.
Taiwanese officials say that the meeting was cancelled because China has failed to show any sign of goodwill in talks over four controversial new flight routes. China had unilaterally announced the flight routes, which pass near Taiwan. Taiwan’s aviation authority has cited safety concerns, and Taiwan’s top China negotiator was set to lodge a protest during Saturday’s meeting with his counterpart in Kinmen.
But Chinese officials say that the reason why Saturday’s meeting was cancelled was not because of a stalemate over the air routes. They say that the two sides need to concentrate on dealing with the aftermath of the TransAsia Airways plane crash in Taipei on Wednesday.
At a legislature committee meeting on Friday, lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties showed support for delaying the meeting. But they urged the government to monitor China’s reasons for the delay.
A legislator with the ruling Kuomintang (KMT), Lin Yu-fang, said that Taiwan has taken a firm stance on changing the air routes, but it’s clear that China needs more time. He said that delaying the meeting is not a bad thing, since the current stalemate would suggest that any meeting would be fruitless.
"More time is needed for conciliation, for coordination, or even for debate. Patience is needed. I support the government’s current stance," said Lin.
Lin said more informal meetings were needed before the official meeting can be rescheduled. He said he hoped the United States could offer assistance in the matter.