The highly symbolic meeting between Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou and Chinese leader Xi Jinping is scheduled to take place in Singapore on November 7.
The summit will be keenly watched across the world for any hints as to the direction of the bilateral ties. The leaders of the two sides have never met since Taiwan split from mainland China in 1949 after forces of the Chinese Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), fled to the territory following their defeat in a civil war with the Communist Party of China (CPC).
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Alan Romberg, director of the East Asia program at the US-based think tank Stimson, told DW that the agenda will likely include ongoing negotiations on trade agreements and the possible reciprocal establishment of offices by the organizations that conduct much of the day-to-day business between the two sides, among other things.
There could also be discussions on security issues, including those concerning the South China Sea, the expert said. “But it is doubtful that President Ma will agree to coordinate positions with Xi on this, even though their positions are parallel in many respects,” he added.
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