Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with leader of Chinese Taiwan Ma Ying-jeou during their meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on Nov. 7, 2015. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

 

Scholars have applauded the historic meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and leader of Chinese Taiwan Ma Ying-jeou on Nov. 7 in Singapore, saying it has opened a new chapter for the cross-Straits relationship and created more opportunities for both sides.

It was the first cross-Straits meeting of leaders at such a high level since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
 

Li He, deputy director of the Research Department at the National Society of Taiwan Studies, said, “The meeting between the two leaders is the result of a long struggle and the concerted efforts of the two peoples across the Straits.”
 

Since 1949, cross-Straits relations have gone through highs and lows. Exacerbated by military and political confrontations, the tensions in the relationship did not ease until the 1980s.

A major breakthrough came in the form of the “1992 Consensus,” an informal compact adopted in which parties representing the mainland and Taiwan agreed on the notion of “one China.” Since then, both sides have taken steps to build consensus through a series of exchanges, including the “Wang-Koo Summit,” former Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan’s official visit in 2005 and Xi’s meeting with current KMT Chairman Eric Chu in May this year.
 

Starting in 2008, the relationship between the two sides stepped onto the path toward peaceful development, Li said.
 

“The meeting affirms the important achievements of the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations over the last seven years,” said Ren Xiao, a professor from the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University.
 

Ren went on to give examples. The Association for Relations across the Taiwan Straits in the Chinese mainland and the Straits Exchange Foundation in Taiwan have resumed institutionalized consultation and inked 23 agreements. Mail, transport and trade links have been established, and the institutionalization of economic cooperation has begun. Cross-Straits exchanges are comprehensive, bringing huge dividends of peaceful development, Ren said.
 

Currently, the future direction of the cross-Straits relationship is a point of contention. “The meeting has lifted cross-Straits exchanges to the highest level of direct communication between the two leaders, which is of such great significance that it will facilitate cross-Straits ties to maintain the momentum of peaceful development and prevent the relationship from stagnating or regressing,” said Leng Bo, deputy head of the Department of Taiwan Politics at the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

“The significance cannot be emphasized enough,” Leng added.
 

During the one-hour closed-door meeting, Xi and Ma both stressed adherence to the “1992 Consensus.” Scholars said the reiteration of the consensus is the biggest highlight of the meeting, which reflects the strong aspiration of the two sides to maintain peaceful relations. The “1992   Consensus” clarifies the fundamental nature of the cross-Straits relationship: the mainland and Taiwan belong to a single, unified China, they said.
 

“Regardless of who takes office in Taiwan in the future, the existing political consensus will restrain the leader to some extent,” Leng said.
 

On the basis of the “1992 Consensus,” cross-Straits relations will make greater progress and bear more fruits. Li Peng, deputy director of the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University, noted that Xi and Ma talked about a wide range of issues covering almost all fields concerning cross-Straits ties, including politics, economy, and society. 

“This is not a ‘meeting for the sake of meeting,’ but a historic one to solve practical problems and usher in the future,” he said. 
 

For example, persons in charge of the meeting set up hotlines to communicate effectively, handle emergencies and avoid misunderstandings. Inviting Taiwan compatriots to take part in the construction of “the Belt and Road initiative” and welcoming Taiwan to join the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank in an appropriate way will allow more Taiwan compatriots to share developmental opportunities in the mainland. Supporting and encouraging the two communities of historians to share historical data, write history and carry forward the spirit of fighting against fascism and Japanese aggression will help consolidate the common historical memory of the two sides across the Straits, Li Peng said. 
 

Xi and Ma solved the issue of what the two leaders should call each other, which derailed a proposed meeting of cultural ministers last year, by agreeing to forgo titles in favor of the generic term xiansheng, meaning “mister.” Li He pointed out that such flexible solutions demonstrate the correctness of Xi’s assertion that people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits have the ability and wisdom to solve their own problems.
 

“The development of cross-Straits relations tells us that we should never lose confidence,” Ren stressed, saying that the solution of many issues depends ultimately on the overall development of China.
 

Striding towards the two centennial goals—building a comprehensively prosperous society by 2021 and turning China into a modern socialist country by 2049—Chinese people across the Straits will become increasingly united, thereby creating better conditions for peaceful unification. “The prospect is well in sight and bound to come true,” Ren added.

 

 

Mao Li is a reporter at the Chinese Social Sciences Today.