Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan’s leading presidential candidate, ruled out directly negotiating with China and meeting with its leader in the next four years while promising to quickly expand travel and investment ties to the mainland if he’s elected.
“I don’t see that as possible,” Ma, 57, said of a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao in his first term. “Because of the sensitivity of cross-strait relations, I think both sides want to avoid direct contact between officials.”
In an interview today with Bloomberg Television in Taipei, Ma said if he wins on March 22 he will allow direct transport between Taiwan and China “within months” and loosen restrictions on investments by Taiwan companies in China within a year.
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