President Ma then discussed relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, saying that since he took office his administration has worked to maintain the status quo of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force" in the Taiwan Strait under the framework of the ROC Constitution, while promoting the peaceful development of cross-strait ties based on the 1992 Consensus. This is the most critical political basis for cross-strait relations and shared by both sides, which he said molded the status quo.
The president stated that over the past seven years Taiwan and mainland China have signed 21 agreements. During that same period, visitors from mainland China have made over 14 million trips to Taiwan, almost four million of them in the past year alone. The heads of the agencies on either side responsible for cross-strait affairs have also met a total of five times, and referred to each other using their official titles. All of these developments indicate that cross-strait relations are the most stable and peaceful they have been in the past 66 years.
Mentioning the achievements of the government in improving cross-strait relations, the president pointed out that during the August 23 Artillery War of 1958 in Kinmen, the Communist Chinese army suddenly began an intense bombardment of Kinmen. Over 470,000 shells fell on the island in a bombing campaign that shocked the people of the ROC and the world. The incident lasted for 44 days. Today, Kinmen is not being bombarded by artillery shells, but rather is a destination for mainland Chinese tourists, who have already made over one million discrete visits there. While in Kinmen, visitors from the mainland purchase kitchen knives, many of which are made from artillery shells fired on the island in the past. This reflects the enormous change in cross-strait relations in recent years and that the development of ties emphasizes peace and prosperity. President Ma added that in fact, the stable development of cross-strait relations not only fosters regional peace and stability, but also provides a foundation for promoting the US "rebalancing toward Asia" policy.
With respect to Taiwan's relations with the United States and mainland China, the president said that after he took office his administration worked aggressively to restore mutual trust at the highest levels of government, and create the conditions under which the United States could interact concurrently with mainland China and Taiwan, while Taiwan could concurrently develop relations with mainland China and the United States. This situation has made it easier to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait, he stated.
【Source: Office of the President】