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Berlin hails Taiwan election results

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
Berlin hails Taiwan election results

German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier said Sunday he hoped for a "peaceful dialogue" between Taipei and Beijing after the election of a new Taiwanese president favouring closer ties with China.

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"The German government hails the election in Taiwan," Steinmeier said in a statement. "Germany supports the democratic values of Taiwan and the economic development of the island."

"In the interest of peace and security in the region, we hope now for a peaceful dialogue between the two parties, that could lead to a lasting resolution of the situation."

Taiwan's president-elect Ma Ying-jeou, buoyed by a landslide election win on Saturday, said he wanted a "non-denial" agreement that would allow Taiwan and China - which claims sovereignty over the island - to exist side by side.

The Harvard-educated opposition Kuomintang (KMT) candidate promised to work for warmer relations, pressing for closer trade ties, direct air and tourism links and a peace treaty that would end decades of hostilities since Taiwan split from the mainland in 1949.

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