Premier Mao Chi-kuo on Sunday called on the people of Taiwan to unite in showing the world the importance of peace and security in the Taiwan Strait. His remarks came during a speech at the Taipei International Travel Fair, which is under way through Monday.
Mao was speaking one day after a high-profile meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Singapore. That was the first meeting between the leaders of the two countries since 1949.
Mao said that the meeting was of historical importance, calling it the first step toward the normalization of such leadership summits.
Mao also responded to a question from the media about the likelihood of Taiwan and China dealing with some of the other issues on the table. Those issues include setting up representative offices in one another’s territory, allowing Chinese tourists to make transit stops in Taiwan, and negotiations over a trade-in-goods agreement. When asked if transit stops were a possibility in President Ma’s final few months in office, Mao said that more effort is needed.