Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Taiwanese counterpart, Ma Ying-jeou, will meet for a historic summit in Singapore Saturday, their governments announced Wednesday.
Leaders from the two sides have not met since 1949, when the Nationalists lost the Chinese civil war to the Communists, and the Nationalist government relocated to Taiwan, The Associated Press reports. A Taiwanese presidential spokesman said in a statement that Xi and Ma will not sign any deals, and the symbolic meeting will "solidify Taiwan-mainland relations and keep the status quo across the Taiwan Strait." Taiwan will elect a new president and legislature in January, which could change the course of Ma's pro-China initiatives, AP says.
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