[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 171 (Thursday, November 19, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1654]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING THE NOVEMBER 7 CROSS-STRAIT MEETING

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LUKE MESSER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 19, 2015

  Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the historic 
meeting between Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou and China's President 
Xi Jinping on November 7. Included below are President Ma's insights on 
the meeting. Like President Ma, I agree that these are discussions 
which must continue. But at a time of increasing security concerns and 
rising tensions in the region, I believe this meeting was an important 
step toward improved relations and stability in the region.
  In my meeting with Mr. Xi, we exchanged views on cross-strait 
relations, peaceful development and the consolidation of peace, and the 
status quo of prosperity. You must all be concerned about the 
atmosphere at the meeting. The meeting took place in a frank and very 
positive atmosphere. I found Mr. Xi to be pragmatic, flexible, and 
candid when discussing the issues. We hope that this spirit will be 
reflected in the handling of cross-strait relations.
  Our discussions focused on several points. The first point is the 
consolidation of the 1992 Consensus and the maintenance of peace across 
the Taiwan Strait. I told Mr. Xi that the consensus reached between the 
two sides in November 1992 was that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait 
insist on ``one China,'' but differ as to what that means, and each 
side could express its interpretation verbally. This was the 1992 
Consensus of ``one China, respective interpretations.'' The ROC's 
interpretation does not involve two Chinas; one China, one Taiwan; or 
Taiwan independence, as the Republic of China Constitution does not 
allow it. I also emphasized that sustainable peace and prosperity 
should be the common goal in the development of cross-strait relations. 
We will continue to consolidate the 1992 Consensus of ``one China, 
respective interpretations'' as the basis for relations, and maintain 
the status quo of peace and prosperity.
  The second point is the reduction of hostility and peaceful handling 
of disputes. We told Mr. Xi that the people of Taiwan are especially 
concerned about security and dignity. We wanted Mr. Xi and mainland 
China to understand that we hope all disputes, whether they be 
political, military, social, cultural, legal, or of any other form, can 
be peacefully resolved, allowing both sides to experience mutual good 
will. I made special mention of the frustrations our people have had 
when participating in NGO activities, as well as the interventions our 
government has faced when taking part in regional economic integration 
and other international activities. We hope to see a reduction of 
hostility in these areas, especially with regard to our NGOs. I told 
Mr. Xi that these organizations comprise elite members and specialists, 
who have reacted quite strongly to these issues and the treatment they 
received. We hope there will be fewer such occurrences. In response, 
Mr. Xi said he hopes these issues will be appropriately handled case by 
case.
  I also stated that many people of Taiwan are concerned about mainland 
China's military deployments against Taiwan, including the Zhurihe base 
with which we are all familiar and where missiles are deployed. Mr. Xi 
said that these deployments are in principle not targeted at Taiwan.
  The third point is the expansion of cross-strait exchanges and mutual 
benefits. We emphasized that given the fact that Taiwan and mainland 
China have different social and economic systems, the two sides need 
sufficient time to engage in deeper exchanges. We also reiterated 
Taiwan's interest in participating in regional economic integration. 
The issue of which side joins first and which side later should not 
arise. Mr. Xi expressed willingness to discuss this issue and welcomed 
our participation in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and 
mainland China's ``one belt, one road'' initiative.
  The fourth point is the establishment of a cross-strait hotline. We 
believe that a hotline can be set up between the Mainland Affairs 
Council Minister and the Taiwan Affairs Office Minister, who can then 
exchange views on important or urgent issues. Mr. Xi stated that this 
matter could be promptly dealt with.
  With regards to cultural and educational exchanges, I also expressed 
the hope that mainland China can allow more vocational college 
graduates to pursue higher education in Taiwan. I noted that our 
efforts over the past several years have met with limited success. As 
we from Taiwan know, our polytechnic universities have a shortage of 
students. I drew attention to the fact that Vietnam, Thailand, India, 
and Indonesia have been funding graduate studies by university 
lecturers at polytechnic institutes in Taiwan. We welcome these 
students. Before I took office, we had about 30,000 students from 
overseas studying in Taiwan. This year, the figure has increased to 
above 100,000. We intend to transform Taiwan into an Asia-Pacific 
center for higher education. I mentioned that mainland China has over a 
million vocational college graduates. Mr. Xi said he is willing to look 
into this matter. The vocational college graduates I refer to are like 
graduates from five-year junior colleges in Taiwan who then enroll in 
two-year programs at polytechnic colleges.
  The fifth and final point is joint cooperation for cross-strait 
prosperity. I suggested that history has left behind several issues 
that the two sides cannot resolve overnight. These issues must be 
handled pragmatically. If we deal rashly with some of the excessively 
sensitive issues, it will make things worse. The maintenance of cross-
strait peace and stability is Taiwan's mainstream view. How cross-
strait relations develop in the future will have to take into account 
the direction of public opinion. In particular, I reiterated that 
cross-strait relations should be built on the foundation of dignity, 
respect, sincerity, and good will, for only then can we shorten the 
psychological gap between the two sides. I especially expressed the 
hope that the two sides can turn hostility into friendship and seek 
peace, not war.''

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