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SINGAPORE: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said cross-strait relations between Taiwan and China are set to improve with Mr Ma Ying-jeou as Taiwan's president.
Speaking at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue on Friday, Mr Lee said the new president has taken a radically different approach from his predecessor, Mr Chen Shui-bian.
Mr Chen had distanced Taiwan from China, slowed down investments and sought to create a separate cultural identity for the island, but there has been a decisive shift in attitudes among the Taiwanese.
He said: "Nearly 60 percent of the electorate voted for the Kuomintang (KMT), voted for President Ma, because they've realised that years of pushing the envelope on independence have seriously strained relations with the mainland, caused Taiwan to be left behind, and furthermore, upset the United States.
"Instead, they now want to maintain the status quo of 'no reunification, no independence and no conflict', to develop constructive relations with China, and to foster a more prosperous economy.
"President Hu Jintao just had a high-profile meeting with Mr Wu Poh-Hsiung – the Chairman of the Kuomintang – in Beijing and he stated clearly that China is willing to work with the new leaders in Taiwan to resume dialogue and build trust in one another."
The prime minister also added that China will be cautious on political matters, calibrating its moves and monitoring Mr Ma's actions. And he said the Olympic Games in August will be China's coming-out party to celebrate its progress.
"If carried off well, it will boost China's confidence and help China to continue liberalising and opening up. But if (it is) handled badly, it will stir up deep and angry nationalist sentiments within China, and fuel fears and suspicions of China in other countries, with serious long-term consequences," Mr Lee said.
On the sidelines of the high-level Shangri-La Dialogue, Singapore and the US affirmed strong ties between the two countries as US Senator Joseph Lieberman, who is also the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, called on Mr Lee.
Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry said the prime minister and Mr Lieberman exchanged views on developments in the Middle East and the continuing fight against extremist terrorism. They also discussed America's engagement of a rising Asia.
- CNA/so
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