China and Taiwan have held their first high-level talks since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.
Wang Yu-chi and Zhang Zhijun, the top cross-strait officials from each side, attended the four-day talks in Nanjing.
No official agenda was released for the talks, which are widely seen as a confidence-building exercise.
China regards Taiwan as part of its territory. In the past, all talks have gone via quasi-official organisations.
The fact that talks are taking place in Nanjing is a nod to history – the city, at times, served as the capital when the Nationalists were in power more than 60 years ago.
Neither side is talking of any breakthrough during this week’s talks – their differences remain stark.
Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, insisting that it must be reunited with the mainland – by force, if necessary.
But since the election of Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou in 2008, relations between the sides have warmed considerably.
For Taiwan, there is no ignoring China – the world’s second largest economy.
And China perhaps sees these talks as a useful opportunity to forge closer ties with Taiwan while a relatively pro-Beijing president remains in power on the island.
Mr Zhang, head of mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said: “It’s impossible to imagine in the past that we could sit here and meet.”
“We must have some imagination if [we want to] resolve some difficulties, not just for such a meeting, we should also have a bigger imagination for cross-strait future development,” he added.
Mr Wang, head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, described the meeting as “a new chapter for cross-strait relations”.
“For us to simply sit at the same table, sit down to discuss issues, is already not an easy thing.”
via BBC News – China and Taiwan in first government talks.
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