New | Xi's a mister, so is Ma: China and Taiwan have an unusual solution for an old problem
The leaders of the mainland and Taiwan have solved the problem of how to address each other during landmark meeting in Singapore
They've worked weeks to decide just how to address each other and have finally come to a consensus. On Saturday, President Xi Jinping and Taiwan's Ma Ying-jeou will make history in the first meeting of both sides' top leaders since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949.
Xi and Ma's meeting in Singapore will see them refer to each other simply as "Mister". Their meeting in the capacity of "leaders from both sides of the Taiwan Strait" avoids the political embarrassment of each having to call the other "President", as neither officially recognises the other.
Analysts say the talks will open a channel of direct communication between the two sides even if Taiwan sees a change of power after its presidential election in January. It would also pave the way for future political talks, the experts said.
The mainland and Taiwanese governments made the sudden announcement of the two leaders' meeting after working for weeks to achieve the consensus. Ma would fly to Singapore to meet Xi, Taiwan's presidential office said on Tuesday night.
Confirming the news yesterday morning, Zhang Zhijun, head of the mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office, said the decision for Xi and Ma to address each other as "Mister" was a practical arrangement based on the "One China" principle as the two sides' political differences had yet to be resolved.