As for cross-strait relations, President Ma stated that since he took office in 2008, his administration 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 the peaceful development of cross-strait ties under the 1992 Consensus, whereby each side acknowledges the existence of "one China" but maintains its own interpretation of what that means. Over the past seven years, the Taiwan Strait has been transformed from a flashpoint into an avenue of peace. The two sides of the Taiwan Strait have signed 23 agreements. Mainland Chinese visitors have made over 14 million trips to Taiwan, almost four million of them in the past year alone. The number of mainland students studying in Taiwan also jumped from 823 seven years ago to about 33,000 last year, a 40-fold increase, and the ministers in charge of cross-strait affairs from both sides of the strait have held several formal meetings where both sides used their official titles. All of these developments are unprecedented since the two sides have been under separate rule for 66 years.
The president said that sovereignty disputes over islets and maritime rights issues continue in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and he expressed hope that all parties will support the stance of "replacing confrontation with dialogue, shelving controversies through negotiation, and resolving disputes via peaceful means." This, the president said, would enable all parties to work jointly towards enhancing stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. He then unveiled the East China Sea Peace Initiative in August of 2012, asserting that "although sovereignty over national territory cannot be compromised, natural resources can be shared," and urging all parties in the East China Sea to resolve disputes through peaceful means and in accordance with international law. In April of 2013 the ROC, based on this initiative, also signed a fisheries agreement with Japan, putting an end to a 40-year old bilateral fisheries dispute. In the process, he said, Taiwan did not yield an inch on sovereignty while securing big advances in fishing rights. This past May the president formally announced the South China Sea Peace Initiative, extending the concept of the East China Sea Peace Initiative, and he hopes that the ROC can work together with other neighboring countries to peacefully develop marine resources.
【Source: Office of the President】