Turning to the subject of the ROC government's pursuit of improved cross-strait ties and regional peace, President Ma stated that since taking office in 2008 he has sought under the framework of the ROC Constitution to maintain the status quo of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force" in the Taiwan Strait, and to promote peaceful cross-strait relations in line with the 1992 Consensus—whereby each side acknowledges the existence of "one China" but maintains its own interpretation of what that means. Before he took office there were no direct, regularly scheduled cross-strait flights, but today there are 120 per day, and the cumulative number of tourist arrivals from the mainland has topped 18 million. And on November 7 of last year, he met in Singapore with mainland Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平). At this first such meeting since the two sides came under separate rule 66 years earlier, the two sides affirmed that the 1992 Consensus serves as the two sides' common political foundation and the basis for peace in the Taiwan Strait. As a result, he said, cross-strait relations are more stable now than at any other time in the past 60-plus years.
【Source: Office of the President】