In a landmark moment, the presidents of China and Taiwan held an 80-second handshake ahead of a historic meeting in Singapore Saturday. It marked the first time that the two sides of the Chinese Civil War have come together since the Communists won the war in 1949, forcing the losing Nationalists to begin running their government from Taipei.
The leaders both smiled broadly as they headed into the first direct talks since the end of the Chinese Civil War. Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his opening remarks that the two sides are "one family" that can't be pulled apart. President Ma Ying-jeou of Taiwan, a de facto state that Beijing considers a renegade province, said that each side should respect the other's values and way of life.
"Let's plan and work together for the rebirth of the Chinese nation on both sides," said Zhang Zhijun, head of the mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office, in statement after the meeting. "We're very willing to keep talking and communicating."
Following the meeting, the leaders are sharing a banquet dinner and splitting the cost.
These landmark talks are the culmination of years of rapprochement under the leadership of Ma Ying-jeou and his Nationalist Kuomintang party. Both he and his party are losing popularity in Taiwan, where anti-Chinese sentiments have been growing. Friday night, the eve of the landmark meeting, a group of Taiwanese youth tried to break into the Legislative Yuan in Taipei to show their disapproval of the talks.
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