U.S. has no role in Ma-Xi meeting: president

Taipei, Nov. 5 (CNA) The United States has not played a role in President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), but Taiwan has notified Washington of the plan for the talks, Ma said Thursday.

The U.S. response to the announcement that the Ma-Xi talks will take place Nov. 7 has been "quite positive," Ma said at an international press conference. The first meeting between the leaders of Taiwan and China since the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war will be held in Singapore.

The stable management of Taiwan's ties with China has been an important factor in the good relations between Taiwan and the United States, and "that is why we notified them in advance and why their attitude has been positive," said the president.

Asked whether his talks with the Chinese leader will affect Taiwan's relations with the United States, Ma noted that the administrations of both President Barack Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush, have always been encouraging and have applauded positive interactions when they comment on cross-Taiwan Strait relations.

Ma also said that it is not he himself but the good of the country and the future of cross-strait relations that he was thinking about when he pushed for a meeting with Xi.

"I hope that, because of my efforts, the status quo that has been established over the past seven years can continue," he said. Taiwan is due to hold its next presidential elections on Jan. 16, 2016 and opposition candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has been widely expected to win the race.

(By Claudia Liu and Jay Chen)ENDITEM/J

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