No rush for political dialogue with China: President Ma
ROC Central News Agency
2012/01/15 02:14:02
Taipei, Jan. 14 (CNA) Taiwan is in no rush to begin political dialogue with China as economic issues remain the priority, said President Ma Ying-jeou Saturday at an international media conference shortly after winning re-election.
At the news conference that drew some 100 media workers, Ma restated his Taiwan-China policy, which he said puts "pressing matters before less pressing ones, easily resolved issues before difficult ones and economics before politics."
Many trade issues still remained for both sides of the strait to resolve, such as tariff concessions on more goods, Ma said, and he stressed that the time is not ripe yet for conducting political dialogue.
Vowing to continue improving cross-Taiwan Strait ties at the current pace, which Ma described as the right speed, the president stressed his commitment to safeguarding Taiwan's security and the dignity of the people.
Relations between Taiwan and China have improved significantly since Ma took office in 2008.
Commenting on his margin of victory over his main challenger Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, Ma said the results were in line with the KMT's internal polls which estimated he would win 50-52 percent of the vote.
He won re-election with 51.6 percent of the valid ballots cast, compared with 45.6 percent for Tsai.
Asked about his view on Tsai's resignation from her post as DPP chairwoman after losing the election, Ma said he respected the "responsible gesture."
Despite his successful re-election, Ma's winning margin over his opponents was narrowed from more than 2 million votes in 2008 to just under 800,000 ballots this year.
Ma admitted that the results showed that a group of Taiwanese people were dissatisfied with the government's performance over the past three years, even if his administration had succeeded in reviving the domestic economy following the 2008 global financial crisis.
"It shows that our efforts were insufficient and our performance was not good enough," Ma said. "We have received the message from the public and will work harder."
Ma said that he would invite leaders of each party every six months to exchange views on major policies.
Meanwhile, Ma also said that his running mate, Premier Wu Den-yih, will go back to his post after the election. Wu took a leave of absence in mid-December to concentrate on the presidential campaign.
In addition to the presidential race, Taiwan also elected a new Legislature the same day.
Although the KMT remained the majority party, its advantage was narrowed.
As a majority party, Ma said, the KMT will respect other opposition or minor parties and seek consultations with them on major issues.
(By Elaine Hou)
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