Vincent Siew's talks with Xi Jinping a chance to smooth over cross-strait rows
Taiwanese envoy can use talks with Xi Jinping on Apec sidelines to smooth over rows about trade, spying, and democracy in Hong Kong
A series of rows between Taiwan and the mainland - including Beijing's latest accusation that Taipei recruited student spies - had cast a shadow over cross-strait relations ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing, analysts said.
And they warned that finger-pointing by both sides would inevitably damage ties in the long run if nothing was done to improve the situation.
But observers also said that Sunday's meeting between the island's senior envoy, Vincent Siew Wan-chang, and President Xi Jinping on the Apec sidelines was a chance to ease tensions and address key issues. Siew, a former Taiwanese vice-president, will represent Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou at the summit from Monday. He also met Xi after representing Ma at the Apec summit in Indonesia last year.
Chang Wu-ueh, dean of the Graduate Institute of China Studies at Tamkang University in Taipei, said several incidents since March had had an impact on cross-strait ties. "Such impacts do affect political trust and ongoing talks between the two sides," Chang said.
Those incidents included the Ma government's decision to bow to pressure and agree not to review a cross-strait service trade pact signed in June last year until after the passage of new legislation to scrutinise such deals.
Hundreds of angry students, backed by civic groups and thousands of supporters, occupied the Taiwanese parliament for almost a month from March 18, demanding the government withdraw the pact and pass a new law to more closely examine future cross-strait agreements.