https://www.scmp.com/rss/321464/feed President Xi Jinping and Taiwan's Ma Ying-jeou met in Singapore on November 7, 2015, to discuss cross-strait issues in the first such meeting of their leaders since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com There is an emerging bipartisan consensus in Taiwan that espouses greater assertiveness towards Beijing. First, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Kuomintang (KMT) both condemned the violence at Yuen Long MTR station on July 21, 2019, with the DPP accusing the Hong Kong authorities of listening more to Beijing than to its people. Then, on May 29, 2020, both parties worked together in Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan to issue a bipartisan statement rebuking China’s plan to enforce the national... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3140080/one-china-why-taiwans-assertiveness-not-fleeting-trend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3140080/one-china-why-taiwans-assertiveness-not-fleeting-trend?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jul 2021 16:30:19 +0000 China’s political elite will gather in Beijing this week for the year’s biggest legislative set piece facing a number of major political challenges, including the aftermath of the coronavirus and the ongoing rivalry with the United States. In this latest article in a series looking at the key items on the agenda, we examine relations across the Taiwan Strait. It is hard to imagine that just over five years ago, the leaders of China and Taiwan shared a dinner together in Singapore. In November... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3123906/taiwan-issue-risk-conflict-loom-large-beijings-political-elite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3123906/taiwan-issue-risk-conflict-loom-large-beijings-political-elite?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Mar 2021 10:00:15 +0000 Official talks between Taiwan and mainland China are unlikely to be held in the foreseeable future now that an understanding intended to allow the two sides to ditch their differences has been redefined, leaving the self-ruled island with no room to manoeuvre, observers said. In a speech on Wednesday to mark the 40th anniversary of Beijing’s call to end military confrontation across the Taiwan Strait, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the two sides should begin talks on reunification to end the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2180831/consensus-thats-anything-xi-jinpings-taiwan-comments-likely-scuttle-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2180831/consensus-thats-anything-xi-jinpings-taiwan-comments-likely-scuttle-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Jan 2019 02:04:14 +0000 The historic summit between the mainland China’s President Xi Jinping and his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Ying-jeou could have taken place up to a year earlier had it not been for a row over alleged espionage, according to Taipei’s former top negotiator on cross-strait issues. Chang Hsien-yao, former deputy minister of the Mainland Affairs Council, said that at the time of the row Taiwan had been hoping to take part in a regional economic cooperation programme but its chances were ruined on August... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1901290/historic-mainland-china-taiwan-presidential-summit-was?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1901290/historic-mainland-china-taiwan-presidential-summit-was?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Jan 2016 03:25:17 +0000 Taiwanese voters are expected to elect opposition leader Tsai Ing-wen as president when the island goes to the polls on January 16, in a move many believe will strengthen its hard-won democracy. With the island preparing to hold its sixth presidential election since 1996, opinion polls suggest voters fed up with a lacklustre economy and the performance of the Kuomintang over the past eight years will gravitate towards Tsai, chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party, over Eric Chu Li-luan,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1899994/stakes-high-taiwans-hard-won-democracy-island-tipped?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1899994/stakes-high-taiwans-hard-won-democracy-island-tipped?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jan 2016 15:45:30 +0000 Mainland China and Taiwan officials began operating the first telephone hotline between the two sides on Wednesday, set up as a confidence building and tension reducing measure, with senior officials exchanging New Year’s greetings. The step was agreed during a historic meeting between President Xi Jinping and his Taiwan counterpart Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore last month. READ MORE: ‘We are brothers’: Xi hails closer ties with Taiwan as closed-door talks with Ma wrap up at historic Singapore... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1896496/hotline-starts-operating-link-officials-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1896496/hotline-starts-operating-link-officials-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Dec 2015 04:28:38 +0000 A swap between Beijing and Taipei of three jailed spies - announced yesterday, just weeks after the two sides' leaders met at a historic summit - is testament to Taiwan's improved ties with the mainland under Ma Ying-jeou's presidency, analysts said. Beijing released Colonel Zhu Gongxun and Colonel Xu Changguo of Taiwan's Military Intelligence who had held behind bars for more than nine years, after Taiwan gave advance parole to mainland spy Li Zhichao, a statement from Ma's office said. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1885365/taiwan-and-mainland-chinas-spy-swap-sign-how-far-cross?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1885365/taiwan-and-mainland-chinas-spy-swap-sign-how-far-cross?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Nov 2015 15:45:45 +0000 Taiwan has swapped jailed spies with political foe mainland China in an unprecedented goodwill gesture following this month's historic meeting between the leaders of the two sides, the island's government said on Monday. Beijing released Colonel Zhu Gongxun and Colonel Xu Changguo of Taiwan's Military Intelligence after they had been held for more than nine years, while Taiwan gave advance parole to mainland spy Li Zhihao, according to a statement from the office of Taiwan's president. READ... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1885162/taiwan-mainland-china-swap-jailed-spies-after-historic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1885162/taiwan-mainland-china-swap-jailed-spies-after-historic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Nov 2015 04:15:45 +0000 On November 7, Singapore hosted a historic meeting between Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou, leaders of the Chinese territories separated by the Taiwan Strait. While no substantive agreements were reached and reactions to the meeting have been mixed, it sets a precedent for similar summits in the future, bringing hope for a peaceful resolution to an estrangement that has lasted more than 60 years. While the fact Singapore is majority ethnic Chinese was a factor, the decision to hold the meeting there... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1879807/xi-ma-meeting-singapores-pragmatic-diplomacy-recalls-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1879807/xi-ma-meeting-singapores-pragmatic-diplomacy-recalls-state?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Nov 2015 15:35:28 +0000 Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou on Friday defended his safe play in his speech before last week's closed-door summit with President Xi Jinping , saying that Beijing and Taipei had agreed to steer clear of sensitive issues in public. Ma was labelled a traitor by the island's opposition party for not elaborating in his opening remarks that Beijing and Taipei differed on what "China" refers to in the "one China" principle. READ MORE: Did Ma Ying-jeou stand up for Taiwan in closed-door summit with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1878642/i-had-no-time-taiwans-ma-ying-jeou-defends-safe-play?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1878642/i-had-no-time-taiwans-ma-ying-jeou-defends-safe-play?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Nov 2015 14:45:00 +0000 To both mainland China and Taiwan, Singapore is a blessed place. In April 1993, Wang Daohan and Koo Chen-fu, the respective heads of government-sanctioned organisations from each side of the Taiwan Strait, held their first talks in the city state. The groundbreaking talks marked the beginning of peaceful engagement between the two erstwhile enemies of a bloody civil war. Twenty-two years after those talks, President Xi Jinping (習近平) met Taiwan’s president, Ma Ying-jeou, in Singapore – the first... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1878446/trusted-friend-both-beijing-and-taipei-singapore-was-natural?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1878446/trusted-friend-both-beijing-and-taipei-singapore-was-natural?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Nov 2015 04:30:45 +0000 A peaceful reunification of the mainland and Taiwan remains unlikely as the Taiwanese cannot be reassured by what is happening in Hong Kong, according to Hong Kong’s last governor Chris Patten. In an article titled “A Chinese Dinner For Two” published on Project Syndicate on Tuesday, the former European Union commissioner for external affairs delivered an analysis of the historic meeting between President Xi Jinping  and his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore. Patten, now the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1878041/peaceful-reunification-mainland-and-taiwan-unlikely-despite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1878041/peaceful-reunification-mainland-and-taiwan-unlikely-despite?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Nov 2015 23:00:30 +0000 The historic summit meeting between President Xi Jinping (習近平) and President Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore last Saturday was the very first time the leaders of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have met face to face since the meeting between Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong (毛澤東) in Chongqing (重慶) in 1945. This is indeed a milestone – the culmination of the progress in the development of “formal” relations between the two sides since the similarly historic “ice-breaking journey” undertaken by Dr Lien... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1877829/meeting-face-face-xi-jinping-and-ma-ying-jeou-take-big-leap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1877829/meeting-face-face-xi-jinping-and-ma-ying-jeou-take-big-leap?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Nov 2015 09:55:13 +0000 The historic meeting between the leaders of China and Taiwan - Xi Jinping (習近平) and Ma Ying-jeou – on November 7 in Singapore was filled with rich symbolism reflecting the long distance travelled by the two rival regimes since 1949. It was the first time that the leaders had met in 66 years of separation, following the Republic of China’s retreat to Taiwan and the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on the mainland. READ MORE: Full coverage of the Xi-Ma summit in Singapore This... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1877422/xi-ma-summit-sends-pointed-message-cross-strait-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1877422/xi-ma-summit-sends-pointed-message-cross-strait-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Nov 2015 09:56:46 +0000 The historic meeting between the two leaders across the Taiwan Strait on neutral ground in Singapore at the weekend may have been more about symbolism than the substance of reconciliation. But there is no symbolism without underlying substance. Sometimes it takes the rituals of symbolism to point the way forward. WATCH: One of the longest handshakes you've probably seen, as Xi and Ma remain in one another's grip for over a minute  The significance in this respect of the hour-long meeting... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1877278/summit-between-xi-jinping-and-ma-ying-jeou-has-set-stone-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1877278/summit-between-xi-jinping-and-ma-ying-jeou-has-set-stone-new?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Nov 2015 17:10:26 +0000 Taiwan's opposition presidential candidate retains a big lead ahead of forthcoming elections, according to two opinion polls released on Monday, despite a historic summit between President Ma Ying-jeou and President Xi Jinping. The breakthrough meeting on Saturday was the first by the leaders of the two sides since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949, but it has stoked public debate over the island's ties with its giant neighbour in the lead-up to presidential and parliamentary elections in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1877215/taiwanese-opposition-leader-tsai-ing-wen-extends-lead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1877215/taiwanese-opposition-leader-tsai-ing-wen-extends-lead?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Nov 2015 16:45:15 +0000 Taiwan's leader Ma Ying-jeou went to lengths to persuade Beijing to remove missiles pointed at the island during his closed-door summit with President Xi Jinping on Saturday. "I'd like to address to Mr Xi that the [Taiwanese] opposition often refers to a recent drill at Zhurihe base and the problem of missiles to criticise cross-strait ties," Ma said, according to a transcript of his remarks in the talks, released by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Office on Monday. "If your side could make some... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1877213/did-ma-ying-jeou-stand-taiwan-closed-door-summit-xi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1877213/did-ma-ying-jeou-stand-taiwan-closed-door-summit-xi?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Nov 2015 16:15:15 +0000 Taiwan’s president exchanged messages on social media with Singapore’s prime minister after his historic summit with Xi Jinping in the city state on Saturday. “Thank you, my old friend Prime Minister Lee for your hot tea, tasty pastries and warm welcome,” President Ma Ying-jeou wrote on Facebook. “Glad that we finally had a chance to sit down and catch up on the Ma-Xi meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel that just ended. “Singapore has played a vital role in facilitating and witnessing peaceful... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1877001/tea-and-pastries-after-making-history-taiwans-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1877001/tea-and-pastries-after-making-history-taiwans-president?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Nov 2015 05:58:14 +0000 Two weeks ago, journalism students asked me a question: how come a Xinhua report on the just-ended Fifth Plenum of the Communist Party, which passed the outline of the 13th five-year plan, made no mention of "one country, two systems" nor "Hong Kong people administrating Hong Kong"? Was this omission a bigger story, given certain media played up this aspect? Hongkongers are getting more and more sensitive about Beijing's rhetoric on the city. But in this case, I suggested the students wait to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1876871/hong-kongs-role-chinas-13th-five-year-plan-open?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1876871/hong-kongs-role-chinas-13th-five-year-plan-open?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Nov 2015 16:00:45 +0000 Only the people of Taiwan can decide its future and will do so in elections in January, the island's opposition leader and presidential front runner said on Sunday, as the mainland's top newspaper warned peace was at risk if it opted for independence. A day after President Xi Jinping and his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Ying-jeou held historic talks in Singapore, Tsai Ing-wen, leader of Taiwan's independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, said the meeting had done nothing to make Taiwanese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876870/democracy-will-decide-taiwans-future-says-pro?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876870/democracy-will-decide-taiwans-future-says-pro?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Nov 2015 16:00:45 +0000 Both President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan have deep links with Taiwan. After all, Xi spent 17 years in Fujian province , the beachhead of the mainland's contact with what it regards as a "renegade" province, rising from a deputy mayor to governor. Xi visited a pilot free-trade area to boost trade with Taiwan in the Fujian island of Pingtan numerous times during his tenure there, showing his strong interest in finding a way to build bridges with Taiwan, according to mainland media. He... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876869/did-chinese-president-xi-jinpings-experience-fujian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876869/did-chinese-president-xi-jinpings-experience-fujian?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Nov 2015 15:55:36 +0000 The summit between the mainland's Xi Jinping and Taiwan's Ma Ying-jeou created a new "status quo" - one that lets leaders on both sides talk on an equal footing under the "one China" principle, experts say. Maintaining the status quo has been the principle upheld by the mainland and Taiwan. The summit not only set a precedent for the two sides to have high-level talks but also set an example - and restrictions - for the future ruling party and president of Taiwan to accept the one-China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876919/xi-ma-summit-creates-new-one-china-status-quo-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876919/xi-ma-summit-creates-new-one-china-status-quo-test?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Nov 2015 15:45:15 +0000 In joining hands yesterday, the mainland and Taiwanese leaders sought to lay down a bridge that future generations can cross - but will their descendants be willing? Analysts say the summit between President Xi Jinping and his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Ying-jeou is indeed a game-changer and has opened an avenue for dialogue that the island's next president will find difficult to ignore. But the talks are unlikely to sway the Taiwanese public to side with Ma's Kuomintang party when they head to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1876669/summit-leaders-lay-bridge-will-future-generations-walk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1876669/summit-leaders-lay-bridge-will-future-generations-walk?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Nov 2015 17:43:40 +0000 Symbolism over substance - that is how Beijing and Taipei are managing the first meeting of their top leaders in 70 years. Yesterday's encounter between President Xi Jinping and his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Ying-jeou is the first since 1945 when Communist leader Mao Zedong met his Kuomintang foe Chiang Kai-shek in the wartime capital of Chongqing . Officials have trumpeted the event with impressive sounding words such as "historic new charter", "breakthrough" and "milestone", but have been... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1876566/xi-ma-summit-remains-more-symbolism-substance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1876566/xi-ma-summit-remains-more-symbolism-substance?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Nov 2015 17:00:15 +0000 Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou's office yesterday to protest against his meeting in Singapore with President Xi Jinping , fearing the island may surrender its self-governance to the mainland. Protesters started storming the heavily guarded parliament building in Taipei overnight. At Songshan airport in the city, police arrested 27 people who tried to push their way through a side gate as Ma left for the meeting. Three protesters from anti-Beijing NGO... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1876672/taiwanese-protesters-cry-treason-over-ma-ying-jeous?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1876672/taiwanese-protesters-cry-treason-over-ma-ying-jeous?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Nov 2015 16:00:30 +0000 Ma Ying-jeou sat to the right of Xi Jinping, with Wang Huning , the Communist Party’s chief adviser, on Ma’s right. In the roughly hour-long dinner in the State Room of Singapore’s Shangri-La Hotel, the two leaders and 12 officials from both sides sat down to a shared round table. Seven dishes were served, starting with two appetisers: suckling pig with gold leaf and sliced abalone with cucumber. The five main dishes that followed included Hunan-style stir-fried lobster with garlic, coral... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1876648/presidents-enjoy-spirited-parting-dinner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1876648/presidents-enjoy-spirited-parting-dinner?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Nov 2015 15:45:15 +0000 The chairwoman of Taiwan’s opposition Democratic Progressive Party, Dr Tsai Ing-wen, who is leading opinion polls to be the island’s next leader in January’s presidential election, is unlikely to be “boxed in” by pledges made by the island's incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou following his historic meeting with President Xi Jinping on Saturday . Ma said on Thursday and at a press conference after the meeting in Singapore that a path had been opened for his successor – no matter if that person was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876655/expected-next-leader-taiwan-wont-be-boxed-summit-tactic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876655/expected-next-leader-taiwan-wont-be-boxed-summit-tactic?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Nov 2015 15:30:15 +0000 China will always ensure freedom of navigation and flight in the South China Sea, but disputes over the contested waters should be settled only by the countries directly involved, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Saturday. In a veiled reference to the United States, he stressed that Beijing was committed to a peaceful resolution with “countries with a direct stake in the issue”. Others “from outside the region” were welcomed to have a positive influence on peace and development in Asia, Xi... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1876508/china-will-always-ensure-freedom-navigation-south-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1876508/china-will-always-ensure-freedom-navigation-south-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Nov 2015 09:19:41 +0000 A single misstep in protocol could have sent yesterday's summit spinning off in the wrong direction, but the mainland's Xi Jinping and Taiwan's Ma Ying-Jeou pulled off the balancing act, creating a friendly atmosphere that matched their message of brotherhood. The two sides last joined together on neutral ground in Singapore in 1993, with the island's then top negotiator Koo Chen-fu and his mainland counterpart Wang Daohan taking separate elevators to the meeting room and timing their journeys... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876492/chinas-xi-and-taiwans-ma-balance-delicate-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876492/chinas-xi-and-taiwans-ma-balance-delicate-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Nov 2015 02:15:30 +0000 Angry protesters tried to storm parliament in Taiwan overnight as the island’s leader Ma Ying-jeou left for a historic meeting in Singapore with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday. The meeting will be the first between leaders of the two sides since their 1949 split following a civil war won by the Chinese Communists. Xi and Ma will shake hands at a luxury hotel in Singapore around 3pm before holding talks behind closed doors for an hour.  READ MORE: What to expect during historic meeting... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1876461/xi-chinese-dictator-and-ma-traitor-protests-erupt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1876461/xi-chinese-dictator-and-ma-traitor-protests-erupt?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Nov 2015 01:00:45 +0000 Welcome to the South China Morning Post’s coverage of the historic meeting between President Xi Jinping and Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, which began at 3pm with a drawn-out handshake.    The two leaders said they would address one another simply as “Mister” before their opening remarks, in order to sidestep the complicated issue of having two Chinese leaders with similar titles, but in the end they refrained from using any such titles in front of the media.  WATCH: One of the longest... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876344/live-historic-handshake-xi-and-ma-lock-hands-70-seconds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876344/live-historic-handshake-xi-and-ma-lock-hands-70-seconds?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Nov 2015 00:01:11 +0000 When Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou shake hands on Saturday in Singapore, it will be the first time in history that sitting presidents from the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China will have met each other face to face, even if they will not address each other as such. The symbolism is rich, particularly on the PRC side, where the image of a Taiwan returning to the fold is more powerful than scenes of Xi rubbing shoulders with US President Barack Obama or being received in state by... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1876209/strategic-intentions-behind-xi-jinpings-meeting-ma-ying-jeou?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1876209/strategic-intentions-behind-xi-jinpings-meeting-ma-ying-jeou?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2015 09:15:30 +0000 As China's Xi Jinping and Taiwan’s Ma Ying-jeou prepare for their historic meeting in Singapore this Saturday, the thorny question of how they will address each other and what etiquette should be observed looms large. Both are presidents but any suggestion or behaviour inferring that Taiwan is separate state under the “One China” principle will stir up a hornet’s nest. Taiwan will also want to ensure that its leader Ma Ying-jeou is treated equally and with dignity during the summit with Xi... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876232/how-avoid-putting-noses-out-joint-mainland-china-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876232/how-avoid-putting-noses-out-joint-mainland-china-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2015 07:00:15 +0000 Singapore’s Shangri-La Hotel is busy preparing to host Saturday afternoon’s historic meeting between President Xi Jinping and his Taiwan counterpart Ma Ying-jeou. By noon on Friday, several security gates had been installed in front of the ballroom area in the Tower Wing, which will be blocked off from 2am on Saturday. The Shangri-La is part of the Kerry Group, the controlling shareholder of SCMP Group, publisher of the South China Morning Post. Read more: Xi's a mister, so is Ma: China and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876219/singapores-shangri-la-hotel-prepares-host-historic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876219/singapores-shangri-la-hotel-prepares-host-historic?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2015 06:00:45 +0000 1pm Ma Ying-jeou arrives at Singapore airport 2pm Ma arrives at Shangri-la Hotel 3pm Meeting between Xi Jinping and Ma starts, with the two leaders delivering speeches one after another. 3.10pm Close-door meeting starts 4:15pm Xi Jinping gives a press conference 5pm Ma Ying-jeou gives a press conference 6pm Roundtable banquet starts 7:30pm Banquet ends 8pm Ma’s flight leaves Singapore https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876138/chinas-xi-jinping-and-taiwans-ma-ying-jeous-historic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876138/chinas-xi-jinping-and-taiwans-ma-ying-jeous-historic?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Nov 2015 16:45:15 +0000 The planned summit between the mainland's and Taiwan's top leaders is testament to the "maturing relationship" between Beijing and Taipei, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday, adding that he hoped it would be the first step towards regular contact between the two sides' top office-holders. Analysts say the landmark meeting - the first of its kind since the two sides of the Taiwan Strait split in 1949 - is a practical, flexible arrangement indicative of political trust between Beijing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876122/historic-meeting-between-chinas-xi-jinping-and-taiwans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876122/historic-meeting-between-chinas-xi-jinping-and-taiwans?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Nov 2015 16:00:45 +0000 Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou was yesterday grilled by international media on his historic meeting with President Xi Jinping to be held in Singapore tomorrow. Here are some highlights. Ma's motives for the meeting Ma said the talks were neither aimed at influencing Taiwan's upcoming presidential poll nor at enhancing his political legacy. "This is out of the hope of … making exchanges between leaders on both sides … a regular occurrence," he said. READ MORE: Xi's a mister, so is Ma: China and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876131/taiwans-president-ma-ying-jeou-his-motives-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1876131/taiwans-president-ma-ying-jeou-his-motives-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Nov 2015 15:41:36 +0000 Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou was grilled by the international media on Thursday morning about his historic meeting with Xi Jinping to be held in Singapore this weekend. He was asked a variety of questions including whether he only cared about his own political legacy and was ignoring Taiwan’s interests by attending the summit on Saturday. Below are some of the highlights of his press conference: His motives for attending the meeting: Ma said he did not intend the meeting to influence Taiwan’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875913/what-taiwans-president-wants-out-his-historic-summit-xi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875913/what-taiwans-president-wants-out-his-historic-summit-xi?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Nov 2015 06:16:17 +0000 Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, was the first choice of Taiwan as a venue for the historic summit between the island’s President Ma Ying-jeou and Xi Jinping, according to a Taiwanese official. The two sides leaders will meet on Saturday in Singapore. Andrew Hsia Li-yan, chairman of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, told a press conference that the talks where suggested by Zhang Zhijun, the director of the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office when the two met last month. Hsia said he... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875872/manila-was-taiwans-first-choice-venue-historic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875872/manila-was-taiwans-first-choice-venue-historic?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Nov 2015 03:30:30 +0000 The first meeting in 66 years between the leaders of mainland China and Taiwan will do little to change the grim prospects of the island's ruling Kuomintang ahead of presidential and legislative elections in January, analysts believe - but it could hasten the party's decline. With the island's elections on January 16 fast approaching, the Taiwanese opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Wednesday questioned the motives behind the scheduling of the landmark meeting in Singapore of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875801/landmark-meeting-between-leaders-mainland-china-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875801/landmark-meeting-between-leaders-mainland-china-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2015 16:30:45 +0000 The way forward in cross-strait relations is through diplomacy and dialogue. The historic meeting in Singapore on Saturday between President Xi Jinping and Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou showcases both. The diplomats have done their bit in figuring out a protocol that made it possible, setting the scene for dialogue. At this stage, symbolism may appear to trump substance, with Ma leaving office soon because of a constitutional term limit and the Kuomintang, which favours closer ties with the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1875698/historic-meet-between-xi-jinping-and-ma-ying-jeou-saturday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1875698/historic-meet-between-xi-jinping-and-ma-ying-jeou-saturday?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2015 16:25:56 +0000 The United States had no role in arranging the historic meeting of leaders from mainland China and Taiwan, even though Washington has signalled it welcomes the development . While the US has played an influential role in cross-strait ties over the past decades, a Taiwan government official said it had not played a part in organising the summit between President Xi Jinping and Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou. "There is no US factor in the meeting between Xi and Ma but Taiwan welcomes the comment... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875800/us-welcomes-meeting-mainland-chinas-and-taiwans-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875800/us-welcomes-meeting-mainland-chinas-and-taiwans-top?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2015 16:15:15 +0000 When mainland China fired missiles into waters near Taiwan in 1996, Lee Kuan Yew made a public plea for calm. "China's leaders have referred to me as an old friend. I am an older friend of Taiwan," the late Singapore leader recalled in his memoirs. "If either one is damaged, Singapore will suffer a loss. If both are damaged, Singapore's loss will be doubled. Singapore benefits when both prosper, when both cooperate and help each other prosper." READ MORE: 'Mister' sets the stage for historic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875802/no-surprises-singapores-neutrality-makes-it-venue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875802/no-surprises-singapores-neutrality-makes-it-venue?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2015 16:00:15 +0000 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... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875810/xis-mister-so-ma-china-and-taiwan-have-unusual-solution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875810/xis-mister-so-ma-china-and-taiwan-have-unusual-solution?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2015 16:00:00 +0000 The United States was not involved in proposing this Saturday's landmark meeting between the leaders of mainland China and Taiwan, a senior Taiwan government official said on Wednesday. Andrew Hsia Li-yan, chairman of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, said he had suggested to Zhang Zhijun, head of mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, during their talks in Guangzhou in mid-October, that the historic talks be held on the sidelines of a regional economic summit in Manila this month. But Zhang... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875679/us-not-involved-setting-historic-meeting-between?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875679/us-not-involved-setting-historic-meeting-between?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2015 11:15:45 +0000 The first meeting between President Xi Jinping and his Taiwanese counterpart, Ma Ying-jeou, on Saturday will open a channel of direct communications between their top leaders, even if Ma’s Kuomintang party loses its hold on the presidency in the Taiwanese elections in January, analysts said. Their meeting has come as a surprise to many people and was a milestone in relations as the first summit between leaders from across the Taiwan Strait since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875626/strait-talk-beijing-needs-taipeis-help-says-analyst?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875626/strait-talk-beijing-needs-taipeis-help-says-analyst?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:00:30 +0000 Companies listed in mainland China believed to be the top beneficiaries of closer economic ties between Taipei and Beijing performed strongly on stock markets after the announcement that the two sides presidents would meet this weekend. The Haixi sub-index compiled by East Money Information to track dozens of companies based in the area covering the coastal cities of Fujian to the west of the Taiwan Strait bounced up 6 per cent by 2pm, largely beating a 3.1 per cent rise in the benchmark... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875624/chinese-firms-across-taiwan-strait-surge-share-trading?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875624/chinese-firms-across-taiwan-strait-surge-share-trading?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2015 08:45:26 +0000 President Xi Jinping and Taiwan's Ma Ying-jeou will hold a meeting in Singapore on Saturday to discuss cross-strait issues -  the first such meeting of their leaders since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949. The state-run news agency Xinhua said the meeting would be a "pragmatic arrangement" and "in accordance with the One-China principle". Here we take a look at the significance of their meeting. READ MORE: Presidents of mainland China and Taiwan to have first official meeting since 1949: Xi... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875591/civil-war-civil-greetings-why-president-xi-jinpings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875591/civil-war-civil-greetings-why-president-xi-jinpings?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2015 07:45:15 +0000 The announcement that President Xi Jinping is to meet his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Ying-jeou this weekend caught many people by surprise in Taiwan, with some opposition supporters saying the talks amounted to a betrayal of the island. Some critics went further on social media calling any future greeting between the two leaders as “a handshake of death”. READ MORE: Presidents of mainland China and Taiwan to have first official meeting since 1949: Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou head to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875593/anger-and-joy-taiwan-islands-and-mainland-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1875593/anger-and-joy-taiwan-islands-and-mainland-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2015 07:34:11 +0000 The leaders of Taiwan and mainland China are to meet on Saturday for the first time since the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war.  Following is a chronology of key dates in their relations:  - 1949: Mao Zedong’s communists take power in Beijing after defeating Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang nationalist forces, who flee to Taiwan and form their own government, cutting off contacts with mainland China.  - 1950s: The United States deploys a fleet in the Taiwan Strait to protect its ally from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1875509/timeline-relations-between-former-civil-war-adversaries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1875509/timeline-relations-between-former-civil-war-adversaries?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2015 01:45:30 +0000