Mainland’s Taiwan affairs chief starts visit to Taiwan

World Today

Chinese official Zhang Zhijun (L), director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, shakes hands with his Taiwanese counterpart

The Chinese mainland chief of Taiwan affairs Zhang Zhijun met with Taiwan’s mainland affairs chief Wang Yu-chi in Taipei on Wednesday on his four-day visit to Taiwan.

Zhang Zhijun arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on Wednesday at noon. He is the first director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office to visit the island.

It is the second meeting between Zhang and Wang this year as Wang visited the mainland in February.

Wang extended warm welcome to and spoke highly of Zhang’s Taiwan trip at the meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

“I led a delegation to visit the Chinese mainland for the first time this February as Taiwan’s mainland affairs chief, and we were warmly received by the Chinese mainland. I invited Director Zhang to visit Taiwan whenever he has chance so as to have closer understanding of Taiwan. And now, four months later, I finally had the opportunity to receive Zhang. As the first Chinese mainland chief of Taiwan affairs to visit Taiwan, I believe that his visit is of great significance,” said Wang at meeting.

Zhang made a speech at the meeting, stressing the important progress in the cross-strait relations that have been made in the past few years.

“We’ve been through wars, standoff and isolation from each other on both sides of Taiwan Strait. It was until the year 2008 that the tension started to ease off fundamentally. Both sides have ushered into a new historical stage of peaceful development based on the principle of 1992 consensus. And the people across the strait have also deepened their relations while enjoying the peaceful development. Now they have more expectations towards the future of both sides,” said Zhang Zhijun.

During his trip, Zhang is scheduled to visit New Taipei City, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Changhua County.