China, Taiwan Presidents to meet in Singapore 1st time since 1949

BEIJING: In a historic move, Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks with his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Ying-jeou this weekend in Singapore for the first time in 66 years following the two sides' split at the end of civil war.

Confirming the "historic meeting" and the shake hand, Zhang Zhijun, head of China's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said the Xi-Ma meet will comprise two stages with one stage open to media and another behind closed doors, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

In 1945, leaders from both the sides shook hands when Mao Zedong met Chang-Kai-Shek at a banquet before the split.

The two leaders across Taiwan Strait will exchange views over key issues during the closed-door meeting, Zhijun said.

No agreement will be signed and no joint statement issued.

China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and views the island as a breakaway province which will one day be reunited with the mainland. China studiously advocates 'one China' policy on Taiwan issue and Beijing strongly objects any country having ties with Taipei.

Besides the shake hands media on both sides focused on how Xi and Ma address each other in view of the one China policy.

Because of Taiwan and mainland China's complicated political history and the "one China" policy endorsed by the Communist Party, the two leaders will simply call each other "sir", rather than their political titles, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

Xi and Ma would be meeting in their capacity as "leaders of the two sides" of the Taiwan Strait, Zhijun was quoted as saying in a news release posted on the office's website.

After the meeting, press conferences will be held by the both sides of the Strait. Later, the two leaders are expected to attend a dinner, said Zhang.

Relations between Taiwan and the mainland were frozen until late 1980s. No peace treaty has ever been signed to formally end the civil war. Taiwan's Central News Agency said Xi had invited Ma to a meeting during his trip to Singapore.

Observers here say it will be yet another feather in Xi's cap as he carefully builds up his image and stature at home with a massive anti-corruption campaign in which thousands of big and small officials were punished.

The historic meeting is likely to introduce a new dynamic to the China-Taiwan-US trilateral relations in addition to China and Taiwan's cross-strait relations, the report said.