Wang Yu-chi

In October 2012, after just less than a week after his appointment as the Minister, Wang was tested to identify Chinese leaders from the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China by Tsai Chi-chang, member of the Democratic Progressive Party at the Legislative Yuan. He only managed to identify Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping, but failed to do so on the other seven leaders.[6]

After the issuance of new version of PRC passport in May 2012 which features Taiwan's iconic landmark of Sun Moon Lake and Chingshui Cliff along with China's iconic landmarks of Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall of China, Wang told the Strait Exchange Foundation had written to Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits in December 2012 to explain the matter, telling that this incident could harm the good development of cross-strait relations. Taiwan's response to this matter is however, the most lenient one than any other countries depicted in the passport.[7][8]

With the newly appointed Director of Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Zhang Zhijun in March 2013, Wang said that Zhang is welcomed to visit Taiwan at the appropriate time, suitable capacity and when all of the conditions are set right, because Zhang's predecessor Wang Yi never had the chance to visit Taiwan during his office term.[9]

In mid April 2013, with the plan for Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) branch office establishment in China and its counterpart Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) branch office establishment in Taiwan, Wang said the office will handle trade, consular affairs, cultural exchanges, protection and emergency assistance for Taiwanese residing in China. However, he emphasized that both SEF and ARATS offices are not official government office, and wish to avoid public misperception that Taiwan-China relations is a state-to-state relation.[10][11]

He added that at the initial phase, Taiwan will set up three SEF branch offices in China, which are in Beijing, central China and southern China. The plan is to establish up to five SEF branch offices. As for ARATS branch offices in Taiwan, he won't allow Beijing to set up ARATS offices in all ROC administrative divisions.[12][13]

In end of June 2013, when asked if Wang can open the proposed SEF offices in China, he said that as long as the Chinese authorities can address him with his formal ministerial title, then he has no problem with that, nothing that this is not a personal issue, but he is the formal appointed official by the government of the Republic of China, therefore he is representing Taiwan.[14]

After the shooting incident of Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine government vessel on 9 May 2013 at the disputed water in South China Sea, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said that this matter would be handled by Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei in accordance to One-China policy. Wang responded that this dispute is between the Philippines and Taiwan. It has nothing to do with One-China policy at all.

Commenting on Beijing's expression of support to Taiwan because Taiwan is part of China, Wang thanked and appreciated them for the support and offer, but wish them to stay out of this dispute because it will make things more complicated if China were to be involved, MAC informed the Taiwan Affairs Office.[15][16]

Commenting on the recently signed Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement between ARATS and SEF in Shanghai in end of June 2013, speaking at a forum in Hualien City, Wang said that the pact will help Taiwanese business people in reaching further to the Chinese market and it will greatly benefit Taiwanese doing business in China and that this pact will allow the Taiwanese there to stand at an advantage over other foreign competitors. He further added that the pact is an important components of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement and that every concession the Chinese authorities has made to the Taiwanese business is greater than those concessions made to other foreign countries.[17]

In end of August 2013, Wang visited Macau, his first visit after taking office as Minister of MAC. During his visit, he met with the Chief Executive of Macau, Fernando Chui, the first time of such meeting between the two leaders. Both of them referred each other by their official title.[18]

The two ministers discussed education and tourism issues. Chui raised the issue of when Taiwan will recognize school degrees issued in Macau, to which Wang responded positively. Wang also thanked the Government of Macau for the good treatment and respect he received while being in Macau since his arrival in Macau International Airport.

Wang also visited the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Macau for the first time since the ROC representative office was renamed to TECO, in line with the rest of ROC representative offices around the world, since 19 July 2011. He also visited Macau historic areas.[19]

In October 2013, in a hotel lobby on the sidelines of the APEC Indonesia 2013 meetings in the Indonesian island of Bali, Wang met with Zhang Zhijun, a ground breaking historical meeting for the first time between leader of Taiwan Affairs Office and leader of Mainland Affairs Council, where the two addressed each other by each's official title. Both of them called on the establishment of a regular dialogue mechanism between their two agencies to enhance mutual understanding and facilitate cross-strait engagement. Wang was also invited by Zhang to visit China.[20][21]

According to the MAC, by addressing each other by their ministerial title, both Wang and Zhang had shown "mutual non-denial" of each side's authority to govern and deepened mutual respect between them.[22] President Ma Ying-jeou, through Presidential Office speaker, expressed his gratification, reiterating that the two sides do not deny each other's authority to govern. The Wang-Zhang meeting also marked a good start for normalizing official interactions across the Taiwan Strait.[23]

Wang-Zhang meeting in Taiwan

On 11 February 2014, Wang met with Zhang in Nanjing, in the first official, high-level, government-to-government contact between the two sides since 1949. The meeting took place at Purple Palace Nanjing.[24][25] Nanjing was the capital of the Republic of China during the period in which it actually governed mainland China.[26][27] During the meeting, Wang and Zhang agreed on establishing a direct and regular communication channel between the two sides for future engagement under the 1992 Consensus. They also agreed on finding a solution for health insurance coverage for Taiwanese students studying in mainland China, on pragmatically establishing SEF and ARATS offices in their respective territories and on studying the feasibility of allowing visits to detained persons once these offices have been established. Before shaking hands, Wang addressed Zhang as "TAO Director Zhang Zhijun" and Zhang addressed Wang as "Minister Wang Yu-chi" without mentioning the name Mainland Affairs Council.[28] However, Mainland China's Xinhua News Agency referred to Wang as the "Responsible Official of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council" (Chinese: 台湾方面大陆委员会负责人; pinyin: Táiwān Fāngmiàn Dàlù Wěiyuánhuì Fùzé Rén)[29] in its Chinese-language news and as "Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Chief" in its English-language news.[30]

On 25–28 June 2014, Zhang pays a retrospective visit to Taiwan.[31]

On 27 February 2014, Wang met with Chen Deming, the President of ARATS, in Taipei. This is the first time meeting between the head of MAC and ARATS. Chen referred Wang as "Minister Wang". Wang said he looked forward to closely working with Chen. Chen also said that the recent Wang-Zhang Meeting in Nanjing would bring a better cross-strait relations.[32]