By KUNA,
Tokyo : China and Taiwan on Thursday began their first formal talks in nine years in an another sign of warming ties between the two rivals, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
At the historic meeting in Beijing, Chen Yunlin, Chairmen of the Chinese mainland’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), told his Taiwanese counterpart, “Since March this year, positive changes have taken place in cross-Strait relations. As wished by people on the two sides, the talks resumed today after nearly 10 years’ suspension.” Chen expressed his hope that the ARATS and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) could reach consensus and sign an agreement as soon as possible during the talks, according to Xinhua.
Chen and SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kun’s talks were followed by consultations on cross-Strait weekend charted flights and mainland tourists’ traveling to Taiwan. The two sides also plan to sign related agreement on Friday.
Talks between the two sides were suspended in 1999 after Taiwanese leaders began to openly suggest that it should formally be considered a separate state. Thursday’s meeting comes after the chairman of Taiwan’s ruling Nationalist Party held a landmark talks in Beijing with Chinese President Hu Jintao last month in the highest-level meeting in 60 years.
China and Taiwan separated after a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still sees Taiwan is part of its territory, and has threatened to use force if the island moves towards declaring independence. Taiwan’s relations with China have been strained in recent years, as former president Chen Shui-bian has pushed to formalize Taiwan’s sovereignty. But relations between the two sides have eased after Ma Ying-jeou was sworn in late May as Taiwan’s new president, who has pledged to improve ties with China.