Tung Chee-hwa told visiting Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou yesterday that he would visit Taiwan 'at a suitable time'.
The Chief Executive also said the SAR Government would establish a representative office in Taipei if the time was right. And he asked the popular mayor how he could raise his own popularity ratings.
Mr Ma was received in his official capacity as Taipei Mayor by Mr Tung at Government House yesterday afternoon. Mr Tung was accompanied by Information Co-ordinator Stephen Lam Sui-lung, special adviser Paul Yip Kwok-wah and private secretary Richard Yuen Ming-fai.
It was the first time the heads of the SAR and Taipei had met each other while in office. Mr Ma was not received by Mr Tung during his last visit in March 1999.
During the meeting, Mr Ma repeated an invitation to Mr Tung to visit Taipei, adding that Tsai Ing-wen, chairman of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, approved of the offer.
'Thank you for your invitation,' Mr Tung said. 'I will visit Taiwan at a suitable time. I have many friends and relatives in Taiwan.'
He dismissed the suggestion that the timing for a visit to Taipei depended mainly on cross-strait relations. 'I always visited Taiwan before [the handover]. But, you know, I am really very busy,' Mr Tung said.
