Su Jia-chyuan assumes SEF chairmanship, calls for mutual understanding

Taipei, Jan. 23 (CNA) Former Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) on Friday took over as chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), saying that cross-strait relations should be based on mutual understanding rather than confrontation.

Su officially assumed the post in a special board meeting of the SEF, a semi-official body tasked by Taiwan's government with handling technical matters involving China. He succeeded Frank Wu (吳豊山), who announced his resignation on Dec. 18 and stepped down on Dec. 31.

In his remarks, Su said the foundation will mark its 35th anniversary this year and that, regardless of cross-strait developments, its core mission remains to serve the people, promote exchanges and build conditions for peace.

"I have always believed that the foundation of cross-strait relations lies not in slogans but in the people, and not in confrontation but in understanding," he said, noting that the SEF will continue to focus on the people, with an emphasis on cross-strait dialogue and exchanges. He also expressed hope that China would do the same.

Su went on to touch on Taiwanese businesspeople in China, saying the SEF will continue to provide necessary assistance amid the challenging political environment, while also urging them to remain connected with Taiwan and its people in safeguarding democracy.

Looking ahead, he said the SEF will continue to express goodwill that promotes understanding and exchanges, efforts aimed at preventing conflicts and creating opportunities to resolve problems.

Meanwhile, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) expressed hope that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can resolve disputes through peaceful dialogue, saying that no preconditions should be set for talks and that Taiwan has already shown the utmost goodwill.

Luo added that he hopes the SEF and China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) can engage in normal interactions under the framework of institutional exchanges between the two organizations, saying this is aimed at addressing the concerns of people on both sides of the strait.

Communication between the SEF and ARATS has been suspended since former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party took office in 2016.

At the time, ARATS stated that negotiations and communications with the SEF could only continue if the latter was authorized to confirm adherence to the "1992 consensus," which embodies the "one-China" principle.