President Ma Ying-jeou says he does not rule out the possibility of meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in person nor does he insist on arranging such a meeting. Ma was speaking last Friday during his interview with BBC in Taipei.
The president said there has been tremendous progress in cross-strait economic and cultural ties since he took office in 2000. However, he said it was a “great pity” that leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are unable to meet as that should be a “natural development.”
Ma told the BBC that Taiwan “was hoping to use last year’s APEC summit as an opportunity” though it was not successful. Ma said that’s probably because Beijing is concerned that such a meeting violates its “one China” principle.
The president said though Taiwan is not clear about the decision-making process, he believes it was Chinese President Xi Jinping who made the final decision.
The president also said Taiwan has to be “well-prepared for any potential conflicts” across the Taiwan Strait as a military threat still exists.