PM Lee: S'pore played 'modest role' in Xi-Ma talk

TAIWAN President Ma Ying-jeou has thanked Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Singapore on Facebook for facilitating Saturday's historic cross-strait meeting.

Mr Ma met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore - the first time top leaders from both countries met since 1949.

He also met PM Lee after that meeting.

Mr Ma posted a lengthy comment on PM Lee's Facebook page yesterday, in response to Mr Lee's post of him and Mr Ma having tea together.

"Thank you, my old friend, Prime Minister Lee, for your hot tea, tasty pastries and warm welcome," Mr Ma wrote.

He added: "Singapore has played a vital role in facilitating and witnessing peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait."

Replying to Mr Ma's comment, Mr Lee described Singapore's role in the meeting between Mr Ma and Mr Xi as "modest".

He said: "Good to see you again, and to congratulate you in person on the breakthrough in cross-strait relations. As an old friend of both Mainland China and Taiwan, and a country which has firmly upheld a One China policy, Singapore is glad to have played a modest role providing the venue for the meeting, just as we did with the Wang-Koo talks in 1993."

In 1993, Singapore played host to the so-called "Wang-Koo" meeting that saw Taiwan and China discuss bilateral ties.

The talks are named after Wang Daohan, chairman of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, and Koo Chen-fu, chief of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation.

The landmark high-level talks were held at the 26th level of the NOL Building in Alexandra Road.

chuimin@sph.com.sg

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