The meeting between Chinese President Hu Jintao and Vincent C. Siew at the Boao Forum for Asia was successful and a positive start on cross-Straits relations, Taiwan regional leader elect Ma Ying-Jeou was quoted by Taiwan media Monday.

He told a press conference that the two sides of the Taiwan Straits will push forward relations step by step to bring peace and prosperity and create a win-win situation.

He will push Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) to contact with mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) as soon as possible after taking office, Ma said..

Hu met with Siew, chairman of the Taiwan-based Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation, at Boao.

Taiwan media have responded favorably to the meeting, calling it easing the air and conducive to cross-Straits relations.

Monday's Economic Daily News said in a short commentary that the most important achievement of the meeting is to create a favorable atmosphere across the Taiwan Straits.

In such an atmosphere, the two sides are expected to speed up talks about the programs such as passenger and cargo charter flights as well as letting in mainland tourists and even restore the talks between ARATS and SEF.

United Daily News said in a Sunday article that, though only a short meeting, the two sides made a step forward with goodwill and brought the cross-Straits relations into a "down-to-earth" stage.

(Xinhua News Agency April 15, 2008)