Beijing, Taipei establish Hotline for cross-strait affairs chiefs

TAIPEI – China and Taiwan have established a hotline connecting their respective Heads of cross-strait affairs. During the first conversation over the dedicated line, Mainland Affairs Council Minister, Andrew Hsia, and Taiwan Affairs Office Director, Zhang Zhijun, lauded achievements in cross-strait relations and exchanged New Year’s greetings.

Sources said the two officials also touched upon such topics as enrolment of mainland Chinese junior college graduates in Taiwan’s tertiary institutions, reciprocal establishment of representative offices and the trade in goods agreement.
“This high-level communication platform represents a giant step forward in official cross-strait interactions,” Hsia said. “It will help facilitate two-way negotiations when addressing emergencies.
According to Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, the hotline was established following a proposal by Taiwan’s President, Ma Ying-jeou, during a meeting with mainland Chinese leader Xi Jinping on November 7 in Singapore. www.taiwantoday.tw (ATI).