Xi, Ma to hold landmark meeting in Singapore

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee meets Lien Chan, former chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) in Beijing on Sept 1, 2015. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

SINGAPORE - Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou are to meet at 3 pm Saturday at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, marking the first face-to-face exchange and communication between the two leaders across the Taiwan Straits since 1949.

They are to exchange views on promoting the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and discuss major issues in deepening cross-Strait cooperation and improving people's welfare.

The scheduled meeting has been hailed as a "milestone" in cross-Strait relations.

More than 620 journalists from around the world will cover the event.

Taiwan leader vows to bolster cross-Straits peace, cooperation

Ma Ying-jeou, the leader of Taiwan, leaves for Singapore at around 6:00 am Saturday morning. [Photo/China News Service]

TAIPEI - Ma Ying-jeou, the leader of Taiwan, pledged to consolidate peace and promote cooperation across the Taiwan Straits, before leaving Taipei Saturday morning for the scheduled meeting with Xi Jinping in Singapore.

It is "the right moment" now to upgrade cross-Strait relations as the ties have never been so stable in the past 66 years, Ma said in a brief speech before boarding the plane.

He said he hopes the meeting will help establish a new platform, upon which leaders of both sides can meet and push forward cross-Strait ties.

The meeting will be held in Singapore later on Saturday, the first such meeting since 1949.

Taiwan society responded positively to the upcoming historic meeting.

Saturday's United Daily News wrote in its editorial that the majority of Taiwan people are positive about the meeting.

The meeting itself is very symbolic, which highlights cross-Strait peace and delivers goodwill, the article wrote.

Another commentary carried by the China Times, another leading local daily, called on the leaders to apply creativity in the meeting and eye the future.

An online survey by the United Daily News on Wednesday showed that 90 percent of 16,600 participants in the survey supported the leaders to meet, while another survey by the island's mainland affairs department showed the supportive side took up more than 80 percent.