China and Taiwan are gearing up for their first government-to-government meeting since
their split in 1949.
During the historic meeting,... ... the two sides are expected to renew their political
and economic ties.
Kim Ji-yeon reports.
China and Taiwan are about to begin their highest-level talks in more than six decades.
Zhang Zhijun , the head of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, and his Taiwanese counterpart,
Wang Yu-Chi , are to meet in China's eastern city of Nanjing on Tuesday afternoon.
The two sides are likely to discuss ways to pursue economic reconciliation... and Beijing
may push for passage of a stalled free trade agreement with Taiwan.
Many expect the meeting could become the basis for a future summit between Chinese President
Xi Jinping his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Ying-jeou,... possibly around the time of this year's APEC
summit in Beijing in October.
China and Taiwan split at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.
China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has said repeatedly that it will reclaim
the island,... while Taiwan wants to be seen as an independent country, though it claims
the same territory as China.
The conflict has created a decades-long military standoff between the U.S. and China, as the
U.S. is committed to defending the democracy-based Taipei against communist Beijing.
Ties between China and Taiwan improved radically... after Taiwan's pro-Beijing President Ma Ying-jeou
was elected in 2008.
Since then, tourists from mainland China have boosted Taiwan's economy and Taiwanese technology
firms have expanded in the mainland, their investments worth billions of dollars.
But there is also speculation that the friendly terms will not last... since President Ma
and his pro-Beijing policy is deeply unpopular among the Taiwanese people.
Analysts say Ma's Kuomintang party is likely to lose local elections slated for later in
the year.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.