China And Taiwan Hold Historic Talks

04:07

February 11, 2014

China and Taiwan hailed a new chapter in their relations today as they met for their highest level government talks since they split amid civil war in 1949.

The two-hour discussions in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing marked a leap forward in official dialogue, sidestepping Beijing's refusal to recognize the self-governing island's sovereignty.

No formal agreements were signed, with both sides saying just the fact that they could meet as equals marked a major step forward.

The BBC's Martin Patience joins Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson with details and analysis.

Read more on this story via BBC

Guest

Martin Patience, reporter for the BBC in China. He tweets @martinpatience.

This segment aired on February 11, 2014.

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