Ma-Xi Meeting
On 7 November 2015 Xi Jinping, CPC General Secretary and PRC President, met Taiwan's leader Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore — the first meeting between leaders of the two sides since 1949, held in their capacity as leaders of the two sides of the Strait, with each addressing the other as "Mr." Both affirmed the "1992 Consensus" but described it differently: Ma stated "one China, respective interpretations" in the closed-door talks, while Beijing's account omitted the "respective interpretations" element. No agreements were signed, but the meeting led to a hotline between the two sides' cross-strait affairs chiefs. DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen criticised the meeting; the United States welcomed it. After the 2016 change of government in Taiwan, cross-strait communication mechanisms were suspended.
Background: From Resumed Talks to Ministerial Meetings
After Ma Ying-jeou took office as Taiwan's leader in May 2008, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) resumed talks in June that year on the basis of the "1992 Consensus", ending a break of nearly nine years; direct sea and air links and direct mail began that December. By 2015 the two bodies' heads had met 11 times and signed 23 agreements. On 11 February 2014, Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Director Zhang Zhijun and Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Wang Yu-chi met formally for the first time, in Nanjing, establishing a regular communication mechanism between the two departments. Before this, Taiwanese figures such as Lien Chan and Vincent Siew had met mainland leaders while not holding Taiwan's top office; Hu Jintao's 2005 talks with KMT Chairman Lien Chan followed a party-to-party model.
In October 2015 Zhang met MAC Minister Andrew Hsia in Guangzhou and held preliminary discussions on a leaders' meeting. According to Ma's later account, the two sides agreed on the meeting on the afternoon of 3 November; on 4 November Zhang announced that the leaders would meet in Singapore on the 7th. Hsia briefed legislative caucuses that day and held a press conference; the DPP and Taiwan Solidarity Union caucuses did not attend the briefing, and protesters gathered outside the Legislative Yuan. On 5 November Ma held an international press conference in Taipei, answering 51 questions.
Arrangements
Zhang said the meeting would be held in the capacity and name of leaders of the two sides of the Strait, "a pragmatic arrangement made in accordance with the one-China principle while political differences remain unresolved"; the two addressed each other as "Mr." Ma said publicly beforehand that no agreements would be signed. At 3 p.m. on 7 November the two men shook hands at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore — for 81 seconds, by Ma's recollection — then held talks for about an hour and dined together afterwards. It was the first meeting between leaders of the two sides since 1949; Singapore had also hosted the 1993 Koo-Wang Talks.
What the Two Leaders Said
Xi Jinping said compatriots on the two sides were "brothers connected by flesh even if our bones are broken, a family whose blood is thicker than water", and set out four points: adhere unswervingly to the common political foundation, consolidate and deepen peaceful development, seek more benefits for compatriots on both sides, and work together for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. He said the "1992 Consensus" embodies the one-China principle and shows that "relations between the two sides are neither state-to-state nor 'one China, one Taiwan'"; that the biggest real threat to peaceful development was "Taiwan independence" forces; that a cross-strait hotline could first be set up between the heads of the cross-strait affairs departments; and that Taiwan was welcome to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in an appropriate manner.
In his public opening remarks Ma put forward five points: consolidate the "1992 Consensus" and maintain the peaceful status quo, reduce hostility, expand exchanges, set up a cross-strait hotline, and cooperate to revitalise the Chinese nation. In the closed-door talks that followed he stated that the content of the "1992 Consensus" is that "both sides of the Strait insist on the 'one China' principle, and its meaning may be expressed verbally by each side" — "one China, respective interpretations" — and that this does not involve "two Chinas", "one China, one Taiwan" or "Taiwan independence", which the Constitution of the Republic of China does not permit. He also raised military exercises at the Zhurihe base and the missile issue, asking the mainland to take concrete goodwill actions, as well as Taiwan's participation in international activities. The MAC released the full text of these closed-door remarks on 9 November.
In briefing reporters afterwards, Zhang Zhijun rendered the content of the "1992 Consensus" as stated by Ma as "both sides of the Strait insist on the one-China principle", without the words about each side expressing its meaning. Both leaders said the "1992 Consensus" should be upheld, but their accounts of what it means still differed.
Reactions
DPP Chairwoman and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen said in a statement after the meeting that she was disappointed: she had hoped Ma would speak about Taiwan's democracy, freedom and the existence of the Republic of China, and about the Taiwanese people's freedom to make their own choices, but "none of these were mentioned"; political preconditions devoid of democratic procedure and public support, she said, would never be accepted by the people of Taiwan. US State Department spokesman John Kirby issued a statement welcoming the meeting and the "historic improvement in cross-strait relations in recent years", and encouraging further progress "on the basis of dignity and respect".
On 13 November Ma said opposition resistance prevented him for now from reporting to the Legislative Yuan, and held an international press conference on the meeting's outcomes instead, citing a MAC poll released that day in which 61.6% of respondents supported the meeting and 26.1% did not.
Afterwards
On 30 December 2015 Hsia and Zhang spoke for 30 minutes on the new hotline between the heads of the cross-strait affairs departments, which Ma described as fulfilling the first consensus reached at the meeting. After the change of government in Taiwan in 2016, TAO spokesman An Fengshan said on 29 June that because Taiwan's new administration had not recognised the "1992 Consensus", both the TAO-MAC communication mechanism and the ARATS-SEF negotiation mechanism had been suspended, with "the Taiwan side" bearing full responsibility. On 10 April 2024 Xi Jinping met Ma, by then out of office, and his delegation in Beijing.
Narrative Comparison
| Source | Narrative |
|---|---|
| Xi Jinping's remarks at the meeting (Xinhua, 7 November 2015); Zhang Zhijun on the first leaders' meeting (Xinhua) | Beijing described the meeting as "a pragmatic arrangement made in accordance with the one-China principle while political differences remain unresolved". Xi said cross-strait relations had developed peacefully over seven years because the two sides had established the common political foundation of upholding the "1992 Consensus" and opposing "Taiwan independence": "without this anchor, the ship of peaceful development would meet stormy waves and might even capsize". Zhang Zhijun called the meeting "an important milestone" and said "the two leaders' joint affirmation of the '1992 Consensus' further consolidates the common political foundation". |
| Ma's remarks in the formal talks (released by the MAC, 9 November 2015); Office of the President news conference (13 November 2015) | The Ma government stressed that the meeting took place on the basis of "parity and dignity" and that Ma had stated "one China, respective interpretations" in person. Ma said it was the first time in 23 years that the leaders of both sides had endorsed the "1992 Consensus" at the same time; he had reiterated to Xi that "both sides of the Taiwan Strait insist on the 'one China' principle, and each side can express its interpretation verbally", and it was the first time Taiwan could directly convey to the mainland's leader its concerns about military deployments against Taiwan and its international space. He said the meeting set "a new model whereby the two leaders can meet under conditions of equality and dignity" for future leaders to follow. |
| Statement by DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen after the meeting (7 November 2015, as quoted by Radio Free Asia) | The then-opposition DPP criticised the lack of transparency. Tsai Ing-wen said she was disappointed: "We had hoped that President Ma would speak about Taiwan's democracy, freedom, and the existence of the Republic of China ... More importantly, that he would mention the freedom of the Taiwanese people to make their own choices. However, none of these were mentioned." She accused Ma of helping Beijing limit the choices of Taiwan's 23 million people, adding: "Political preconditions that are devoid of democratic procedure and without a firm basis in public opinion will never be accepted by the people of Taiwan." |
| Statement by State Department spokesman John Kirby (7 November 2015, as quoted by Radio Free Asia) | Washington welcomed the meeting: "The United States welcomes the meeting between leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the historic improvement in cross-strait relations in recent years." Kirby said the United States "has a deep and abiding interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait", and encouraged "further progress by both sides toward building ties, reducing tensions, and promoting stability on the basis of dignity and respect". |
| Jacques deLisle (University of Pennsylvania), "Mr. Xi Meets Mr. Ma for a Singapore Fling" (FPRI, November 2015) | deLisle argues the meeting was "freighted with symbolic significance but with limited substantive impact", a "dramatic but incremental and still-limited extension" of the trajectory since Ma took office. Ma reaffirmed the 1992 Consensus with "respective interpretations"; Xi embraced it "predictably, without the 'respective interpretations' gloss"; the "most notable near-deliverable" was a TAO-MAC hotline. On motives, he suggests Beijing may have sought to lock in its favoured interpretation of the status quo ahead of a likely DPP victory, while Ma, a near-lame duck with low approval ratings, had little room to make substantive commitments. |
| Ma Ying-jeou, tenth-anniversary statement (7 November 2025, English translation by Pekingnology) | Ten years on, Ma recalled that he and Xi "overcame numerous obstacles to meet in Singapore", shook hands for 81 seconds before six hundred journalists and dined together afterwards, "building a bridge of peace across the Strait". He called the meeting "the highest practice of 'institutionalized cross-Strait exchanges'", which he described as built on the "1992 Consensus" and opposition to Taiwan independence, criticised the later DPP government's "Resist China, Protect Taiwan" policy for nearly cutting off exchanges, and urged a return to the foundation laid at the meeting. |
Key Milestones
- ARATS and SEF resume talks
Heads of ARATS and SEF meet in Beijing, resuming institutionalised talks after a break of nearly nine years.
- Zhang Zhijun and Wang Yu-chi meet in Nanjing
The heads of the TAO and MAC meet formally for the first time, setting up a regular communication mechanism.
- Leaders' meeting announced
Zhang Zhijun announces that Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou will meet in Singapore on 7 November; Andrew Hsia holds a press conference in Taipei.
- Leaders meet in Singapore
Xi and Ma shake hands, hold talks and dine together at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore — the first meeting of leaders of the two sides since 1949.
- MAC releases closed-door remarks
The MAC releases the full text of Ma's remarks in the formal talks, including "one China, respective interpretations".
- Ma's press conference on outcomes
Unable to report to the Legislative Yuan, Ma holds an international press conference on the meeting's outcomes.
- First hotline call
Hsia and Zhang hold the first 30-minute call on the cross-strait affairs chiefs' hotline.
- TAO says mechanisms suspended
A TAO spokesman says the TAO-MAC and ARATS-SEF mechanisms have been suspended.
- Xi meets Ma in Beijing
Xi Jinping meets Ma Ying-jeou, by then out of office, and his delegation in Beijing.
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