Taiwan, China to hold first ever talks in Singapore

PanARMENIAN.Net - The leaders of Taiwan and China plan to meet in Singapore on Saturday, November 7 for the first time since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949, CNN reports.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou and will address each other as "mister" rather than their usual honorific titles, and will have dinner together after the meeting, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported, citing Zhang Zhijun, the director of China's Taiwan Affairs Office.

Taiwan's Central News Agency, citing senior government officials, said the two leaders did not expect to sign any agreement, but plan to discuss peace.

China and Taiwan -- officially the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China -- separated in 1949 following the Communist victory in the civil war.

But China still considers the island a breakaway province and has warned that a formal declaration of independence could lead to military intervention.

To this day, it's reported to have missiles pointed at the island.

Despite the rift, China is Taiwan's biggest trade partner, hundreds of flights go between the two nations each week and Chinese banks now operate on the island, while some Taiwanese companies have factories in China.