THE Central Government said it will cooperate with Taiwan after Ma Ying-jeou claimed victory in the polls for the island’s leader.

    The 61-year-old Ma, of the Kuomintang (KMT) party, won a second term as Taiwan leader, defeating rivals Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong in a three-way race. Ma led Tsai by about 800,000 votes in the poll.

    “We are willing to join hands with Taiwan’s all walks of life on the basis of continuing to oppose ‘Taiwan independence,’” the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said in a statement released late Saturday.

    The mainland and Taiwan “should make common efforts for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” the Xinhua News Agency said.

    “Moreover, the victory of Ma and the KMT may represent a new opportunity for the development of the cross-Straits relations,” the commentary added, saying voters have expressed approval of the “1992 Consensus” through their ballots.

    The “1992 Consensus” is an agreement reached between the mainland and Taiwan in 1992 which states that both sides adhere to the one-China principle. The consensus has served as a political foundation for cross-Straits dialogues over the past three years.(Xinhua)

(Related story on Page 4)