China’s top Taiwan policymaker – Zhang Zhijun – is in Taiwan for his first official visit. Zhang is the head of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO).
Officials from Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) were at the airport to greet Zhang when he arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Wednesday.
Zhang met with his Taiwanese counterpart MAC Minister Wang Yu-chi on Wednesday afternoon. Wang said that relations have improved ever since the two sides of the Taiwan Strait agreed to set aside their differences six years ago. He said that Zhang is the first TAO official to visit Taiwan and that it’s a great opportunity for him to experience the vitality of Taiwan first hand.
“I believe that Director Zhang will start to get a sense of the Taiwanese lifestyle and its values," said Wang. "Therefore, I hope that Director Zhang can listen to the voices of the Taiwanese people and respect their choices.”
Meanwhile, Zhang said that Mainland China believes that the peaceful development of cross-strait relations is beneficial for both sides.
Wang and Zhang are scheduled to hold a more informal closed-door discussion in the southern city of Kaohsiung on June 27. Zhang is also set to travel to the cities of New Taipei and Taichung, as well as to Changhua County before returning to China on June 28.