February 14, 2014
Mac News Release No. 022
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Wang Yu-chi concluded his visit to mainland China and has returned to Taiwan. Minister Wang pointed out that, over the past 65 years of separate governance across the Strait, he is the first incumbent government official to visit the Mainland in the capacity of MAC Minister, an act that marks an important milestone in the development of cross-strait relations and has significant implications for the normalization of official interactions across the Strait. The Minister further stated that the visit has been successfully concluded and has achieved the goal of enhancing mutual understanding.
Minister Wang led a MAC delegation to visit Nanjing and Shanghai of the Mainland on February 11 and returned to Taiwan this afternoon (February 14), upon which he held a press conference and issued the above statements.
Minister Wang enumerated several results of his visit to the Mainland. During the first meeting between heads of cross-strait competent authorities, the two sides reached a consensus to establish a liaison and communication mechanism between the MAC and Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) and agreed to grant facilitation measures for the entry-exit and customs clearance of related personnel under the principle of equality and mutual benefit and in adherence to respective laws and regulations. Furthermore, the Mainland pledged to substantively implement medical coverage for Taiwanese students in the Mainland. The two sides agreed to more proactively discuss feasible measures in terms of granting humanitarian visiting functions to reciprocal institutions of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS). Consensus was also reached between the two sides on issues such as improving living conveniences for resident reporters on each other's side and promoting cross-strait cultural, educational and technological exchanges. The two sides also frankly exchanged views and communicated on issues including improvement of the overall cross-strait news information environment and joint cross-strait participation in regional economic integration. Moreover, in order to promote normalized official interactions across the Taiwan Strait, Minister Wang invited Director Zhang Zhijun to lead a delegation to visit Taiwan at an appropriate time to experience in person Taiwan's pluralistic society.
Minister Wang stressed that, during this trip, he led a delegation to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum to pay homage to Dr. Sun Yat-sen and recalled Dr. Sun's great achievements as revolution leader and founding father of the Republic of China (ROC). He also reported to Dr. Sun the concrete realization of the Three Principles of the People and the Five-Power Constitution in Taiwan. During the service, Minister Wang explicitly stated the reality of the ROC existence and the current status of separate governance and respective development across the Taiwan Strait. At Nanjing University, Minister Wang presented a speech entitled "Moving the World with Sincerity," in which he urged young people on both sides to pragmatically confront their differences and form friendships in sincerity and good faith in order to truly put aside differences, seek common ground and create a new future.
During talks with think tank scholars in the Mainland, Minister Wang explained that the two sides should pragmatically face the cross-strait reality in order to gradually build mutual trust and jointly promote the development of cross-strait relations. Moreover, Minister Wang expressed hope during his visit to Radio and Television Shanghai to expand cross-strait exchanges and cooperation in the film, television and music industries. He also urged the two sides to promote reciprocal exchange of news information across the Strait so that the Mainland people may better understand the diversity of public opinion in Taiwan and thus bridge the gap between the two sides.
Minister Wang also remarked that the tea reception held with Director Zhang at the Peace Hotel provided an opportunity for colleagues of the MAC and TAO to build mutual understanding and share experience in handling cross-strait affairs. Minister Wang particularly stressed that, conversations with Director Zhang at the reception all affirmed the positive meaning conveyed by the visit.
Before returning to Taiwan today, Minister Wang also visited the Shanghai Taiwanese Children School. He met with the school teachers, students, students' parents and Taiwanese business representatives to understand the status of the school's development and conveyed the government's sincere gratitude to the school staff for their dedication to the school's administration. Minister Wang also said that MAC would work together with competent authorities to find suitable solutions to address the issues brought up by the teachers, students and parents.
Minister Wang noted that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have been separately governed for 65 years, and a single visit could not at once resolve all of the many issues, but it is a start. Minister Wang stated that the visit was successfully and smoothly concluded; and had achieved the goals of enhancing mutual understanding and highlighted the reality of the ROC’s existence. On this basis, the two sides will continue in the future to promote the further institutionalization of cross-strait relations so as to facilitate lasting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.