On the subject of cross-strait relations, the president stated that the government has consistently 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. The two sides have signed 23 agreements, and the ministers in charge of cross-strait affairs from each side have met seven times, addressing each other using their official titles during the meetings. Over the past seven-plus years, the number of regularly scheduled, direct cross-strait flights has risen from zero to 890 per week, and the cumulative number of tourist arrivals from the mainland has topped 18 million. Meanwhile, there are now over 42,000 mainland students studying in Taiwan, a 50-fold increase over the number studying here before he took office. Developments such as these have brought peace and prosperity to the Taiwan Strait, and transformed the strait from a flashpoint of conflict into an avenue of peace.
President Ma further explained that sufficient cross-strait trust had been built up to enable a meeting in Singapore on November 7 of last year between himself and mainland Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) in an atmosphere of equality and dignity. The two sides affirmed during the meeting that they share the common objective of "consolidating cross-strait peace and maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait." Afterward, the US White House issued a statement to welcome the results of the Ma-Xi meeting, stating that "The United States welcomes the meeting between leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait…, and we encourage further progress by both sides toward building ties, reducing tensions, and promoting stability on the basis of dignity and respect."
President Ma then pointed out that the US, Taiwan, and mainland China can each interact well with either of the other two parties without causing the third party to feel concerned or nervous. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton delivered a speech in May of 2015, emphasizing that "the US-Taiwan 'unofficial relationship' has never been better.… And it must be said that an important ingredient of the close cooperation in recent years has been the stable management of cross-Strait ties." Former US Deputy Secretary of Defense Rudy deLeon also praised the 1992 Consensus in an article published this past February 26, saying that it allows leaders on both sides of the Strait to engage and resolve topical issues through practical dialogue, and that Taiwan's approach of "no surprises" has "allowed both Beijing and Washington to engage separately with Taiwan." In addition, Daniel Kritenbrink, Senior Director for Asian affairs at the US National Security Council, recently stated publicly that the US "welcomed the historic progress in Cross-Strait relations over the last eight years" and would "like to see that progress, that peace and that stability to continue."
【Source: Office of the President】