China, Taiwan presidents meet for 1st time ever, shake hands
The leaders of Taiwan and China shook hands on saturday at a historic meeting marking the first top- level contact between the formerly bitter Cold War foes since they split amid civil war 66 years ago. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou came together on neutral ground in the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore, walking toward each other in a hotel ballroom in front of a backdrop of yellow - a traditional colour of Chinese emperors - and flanked by palm trees. The two men smiled broadly as they shook hands for more than one minute, turning slightly to the side to accommodate a host of photojournalists in the ballroom. No national flags were present - a necessary work-around to overcome China's refusal to recognise Taiwan's sovereignty or its government's formal legitimacy. In brief opening remarks in front of reporters before going into a closed-door meeting, Xi alluded to China's long- cherished goals of unification with Taiwan, saying "We are one family" and "No force can pull us apart."
Nov 07, 2015, 16:36 PM IST
