Chinese premier Wen Jiabao said that his country will work towards easing the tension with Taiwan. Both governments have been avoiding talks to close a bitter confrontation. Wen noted that China is ready for “political and military talks” to end hostilities and conclude a peace agreement between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. “China will strengthen economic cooperation with Taiwan to respond collectively to the global financial crisis,” said the premier.

Wen acknowledged that the greatest progress in the relationship between China and Taiwan had been in 2008, and now both sides have “more frequent exchanges of people, better economic ties, in addition to more active cultural exchanges.”

In an initial reaction to the message from China, Taiwan reacted cautiously to the offer of peace agreement and political cooperation proposed by the Chinese premier. Tony Wang, spokesman for Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou, said that the island will seek a peace agreement and political cooperation, but only after the normalization of economic ties. “The official position is to give priority to economic agreements and maintain the current political situation, until the time comes,” he said.

The China-Taiwan conflict began in 1949 when Taiwan wished to gain its independence. The One China policy has remained to be one of the most controversial disputes today. It is a principle which states that there is only one China and it is comprised of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The Taiwanese government has always vehemently rejected this policy, hence the conflict.

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Via The China Post