Mainland official has ‘a great time’ on Taiwan visit
Print Edition
ZHANG Zhijun, the Chinese mainland’s Taiwan affairs chief, told reporters: “I had a great time today,” after meeting New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu and achieving his hope of visiting Taiwan communities to learn about residents’ lives.
Zhang, head of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, began a four-day visit to the island on Wednesday.
Yesterday morning, he was at a community in New Taipei’s Xizhi District, talking with locals and mainlanders married to Taiwanese.
After lunch with nursing home residents, Zhang and Chu exchanged views on deepening cross-Strait cooperation between cities.
“The talk was good,” Zhang said. “We discussed the changes in cross-Strait relations in 65 years, and both agreed that further development of cross-Strait relations will benefit all people from both sides.”
Zhang said New Taipei City had already conducted close cooperation with mainland cities in many fields, including trade, agriculture, education, health care and environmental protection, with increasing grassroots exchanges and communication among young people from both sides.
“I took New Taipei as the first stop so I could know more about the city and its people,” he said.
Zhang’s last stop yesterday was Wulai District, a mountainous region, where he talked with ethic minority people and promised to tell mainlanders about the area’s beautiful scenery.
On Wednesday, Zhang held a meeting with Wang Yu-chi, Taiwan’s mainland affairs chief, in Taoyuan. It was the second formal meeting between the chiefs of cross-Strait affairs.
Although protesters tried to disturb Zhang’s visit, with some beating drums and gongs near his hotel, he remained unfazed.
Taiwan’s newspapers gave positive coverage to the visit, appealing to people on the island to express opinions in a rational way.
Over four pages, the United Daily News said that through the meeting, mutual trust had been preliminarily established as Zhang and Wang agreed to continue negotiations on allowing the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation to set up offices on each other’s side.
China Times said Zhang’s visit to grassroots regions symbolized the mainland’s sincerity to communicate with the island and win public support for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.
Taipei Mayor Hao Lung-bin said yesterday that Zhang’s efforts to listen to people’s voices and understand Taiwan’s situations will be very helpful for boosting relations.
Hao is currently in Beijing for the 2014 International Tourism Expo that is opening today.
Hao was making his first trip to Beijing as Taipei’s mayor, and his delegation will promote the city during the expo.
“Zhang and I are old friends,” Hao said, adding that he hoped for a chance to see him in Beijing and hear about his Taiwan trip.
Addressing protests during Zhang’s visit, Hao said: “Guests coming from far away should be treated with manners ... I believe a majority of Taiwan people welcome Zhang.”
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