President Ma Ying-jeou has met with President-elect Tsai Ing-wen to discuss the upcoming transition of power.
During the meeting on Wednesday, Ma congratulated Tsai on being Taiwan’s first female president. Ma said that her election marks the third successful transfer of power between political parties in Taiwan’s history. Ma said he looks forward to seeing the two parties work together.
"If Chairperson [Tsai] is in need of any help, it would be my duty to provide it," Ma said. "I’d be happy to share my experience and perspectives from the past eight years for Tsai to refer to. We will work together for the future development of our nation. We can discuss national issues and policies during our closed-door meeting."
Tsai said that her meeting with Ma represents the potential for cooperation between Taiwan’s two main political parties.
"During the election, there were attacks on policies and political considerations," said Tsai. "But now the public expects that political leaders work together to rationally deal with key issues. No matter how intense the competition has been between the two parties, let’s show the public that cooperation is possible."
Tsai’s inauguration will take place on May 20.