Taipei, March 30 (CNA) President-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said before a closed-door meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Wednesday that the encounter was significant in terms of democracy, responsibility and cooperation.
"Democracy is the most important value of our society, and it is very important to pass it down to future generations," Tsai said in her opening remarks, adding that democracy was the value that will allow a smooth rotation of power.
She was referring to the presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 16, in which Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took power from Ma's Kuomintang (KMT), the third time the presidency has changed parties since Taiwan first held direct presidential elections in 1996.
The DPP won the presidency and a majority in Taiwan's Legislature to oust the KMT after eight years in power.
Tsai said the meeting was also significant because it was a sign of responsibility in guaranteeing a smooth handover of power. Tsai will assume office on May 20.
She expressed hope that a takeover mechanism will be established so that future transitions of power can proceed systematically, and said it was also the leaders' responsibility to help stabilize political conditions in the country.
The meeting's third area of significance was cooperation, Tsai said, noting that people expect political leaders to sit down and discuss crucial issues facing society with each other in a calm and peaceful manner.
She said she was interested in hearing President Ma's advice on various issues for the reference of the new government.
"People's expectations are clear, which is that regardless of the competition seen during the election, we have to ensure that power is taken over smoothly," she said.
After making opening remarks in public, the two retreated behind closed doors to meet for just over an hour.
Ma was accompanied by Presidential Office Secretary-General Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑), and Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信).
Tsai was joined by DPP Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), DPP Deputy Secretary-General Liu Chien-hsin (劉建忻) and Alex Huang (黃重諺), director of the party's department of news and information.
(By Tai Ya-chen and Elizabeth Hsu)
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