President Ma: Cross-strait rapprochement

Cross-strait rapprochement and Taiwan's international participation not zero-sum game: President Ma

President Ma Ying-jeou says Taiwan's increasing international participation is thanks to better cross-strait relations.

"When we can have greater participation in the international community, our people will be more willing to have closer cross-strait relations. The two are complementary and not mutually exclusive. That's why when I seek cross-strait rapprochement. I also hope to increase our international participation, so that both sides can gain something. This is not a zero-sum game," Ma said.

Ma made the remarks in an interview with the British newspaper, The Financial Times. The interview was published on Monday.

Ma said Taiwan would continue to open up its market to Mainland China, and that the two sides could cooperate in the areas of technology and green energy.

But he said closer ties between the two sides do not mean that Taiwan is relying on Mainland China. Ma said that while Taiwan seeks better relations with Beijing, it also wants to expand its international participation. Ma said Taiwan would continue to buy weapons from the United States but cannot engage in an arms race with Beijing.

In response to Beijing's crackdown on internet calls for a Middle Eastern-style Jasmine Revolution, Ma said he was concerned. He said he has always seen human rights issues as an indicator of how close Taiwan and Mainland China can become.
Despite closer relations with Mainland China, Ma said his administration abides by the principle of "no unification with Mainland China, no formal independence for Taiwan, and no use of military force". He also stressed that he would not discuss unification with Beijing during his time in office.

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