In the wake of the meeting between Taiwanese Persident Ma Ying-jeou and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the leaders on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will have a pivotal effect on Taiwan’s future development, regardless of the different opinions and assessments of the encounter, Focus Taiwan reported. For people in Taiwan, economic and trade cooperation remains the most important basis of cross-strait relations. It will be important for the ruling and opposition parties to resolve their differences and grasp the historical opportunity in seeking a breakthrough on cross-strait trade and prevent Taiwan from being marginalized. The Ma-Xi meeting was a great step forward, symbolizing that peaceful development of cross-strait relations has prevailed over historical estrangement. Though nobody expected that huge differences could be resolved in a single meeting, the encounter will have a lasting influence on cross-strait relations as well as Taiwan’s strategic position in the Asia-Pacific region. The meeting was finally realized after the continuous efforts of both sides in the past two years.
