Talks in Nanjing herald new era of closer relations
First inter-government meeting sees Beijing and Taipei set up direct link for future discussions
Taiwan and the mainland opened a new chapter of cross-strait relations yesterday following the first ever official government-to-government talks, which saw the two sides reach consensus on several issues, including the establishment of an official mechanism to communicate issues of mutual concern.
Wang Yu-chi, chairman of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which charts cross-strait policy, and his mainland counterpart, Zhang Zhijun of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, met in Nanjing in their official capacities for the first time.
Watch: China and Taiwan's historic talks
"It's never an easy thing for us to sit at the same table to discuss things," said Wang, while looking back at the development of cross-strait relations from bitter hostility to warming ties over a period of more than six decades.
It’s never an easy thing for us to sit at the same table to discuss things
The two sides had been political rivals since the end of the civil war in 1949, and ties began to improve only after Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang became Taiwan's president in 2008 and opted for a policy to engage Beijing.