President Ma Ying-jeou says there are no political motives behind Taiwan’s suggestion to set up representative offices on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. He was speaking on Monday during an interview with the local and international media.
Ma said that setting up the offices will simply make things easier for civilian exchanges.
However, Ma said that China is concerned that the move will define cross-strait ties as “diplomatic relations.” He said that the possibility of protests is another concern.
"China is concerned that if it set up a representative office in Taiwan, then maybe it would become a gathering place for student activists. Perhaps last year’s student protests alarmed them," Ma said. "But I told them that the Republic of China [on Taiwan] is a country governed by the rule of law and that we will do the utmost to ensure security. Anyway, that’s a relatively technical issue. The crux of the issue is that they are concerned about [political motives]."
The president was also strongly critical of opposition presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s China policy. He warned that Taiwan will pay a heavy price if its future leader puts domestic policies ahead of cross-strait ties.