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One of the top stories from this past week was that President Ma Ying-jeou and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met in Singapore on Saturday afternoon. It was the first meeting between leaders from both sides of the Taiwan Strait in 66 years.
During the meeting, Ma said that both sides should stick to the "1992 Consensus" to maintain the status quo. The "1992 Consensus" refers to a tacit agreement reached between Taiwan and China in 1992. Under the agreement, both sides agree that there is only "one China", though each side may have its own interpretation of what "one China" means.
Ma also called for the easing of animosity, resolving disputes in a peaceful way, expanding cross-strait exchanges, and promoting mutually beneficial situations.
The president also said a hotline should be set up between the heads of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to deal with emergencies.
Ma said that as people in Taiwan and China share a common ancestry, they should work together and offer assistance to one another.
Meanwhile, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said that Taiwan and Mainland China should strengthen their “common political basis” by insisting on the “1992 Consensus.” Xi said his meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou is meant to ensure that the tragedy of families being torn apart in 1949 will not be repeated, and that peaceful cross-strait development will not be jeopardized.
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Also this past week, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill on Monday that supports Taiwan’s participation in the International Police Criminal Organization (Interpol).
The bill directs US President Barack Obama and Interpol Washington to develop a strategy to assist Taiwan in obtaining observer status in Interpol.
The bill will take effect pending approval from the Senate. President Obama is also required within 30 days of the bill’s enactment to present a strategy report to Congress.
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And finally, this past week, Kuomintang presidential candidate Eric Chu is planning to visit the United States from November 10 to 16. Chu is the new KMT candidate who replaced former candidate Hung Hsiu-chu just over two weeks ago.
Chu’s rival, Democratic Progressive Party candidate Tsai Ing-wen has already made a high profile visit to the United States this year.
Chu’s first stop will be in Los Angeles next Tuesday. Then he will go to Washington DC for two days and then on to New York. On Saturday, he will fly to San Francisco where he will stay for a day before returning to Taiwan.