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TAIPEI - THERE was no agreement, no specific timetable - not even a joint statement.
But chairman Wu Poh-hsiung of Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang (KMT) yesterday emerged from a meeting with his Chinese Communist Party (CCP) counterpart Hu Jintao with more than he could hope for.
Not only did Mr Hu signal his consent to two 'gifts' coveted by Taiwan - direct weekend cross-strait flights and letting mainland tourists visit Taiwan - he agreed to consider its demand for greater international space.
The meeting was a case in point on why the 'second track' dialogue between the KMT and CCP would still play a prominent role despite the coming reopening of formal talks.
'The meeting signals that the deal is as good as sealed,' said Taiwanese scholar Chen Yu-chun, now a visiting professor at Beijing Union University.
The 'first track' talks refer to contacts between Taiwan's semi-official Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (Arats).
The agencies are authorised by the two governments to handle negotiations, including tying up and formalising details of the two 'gifts''.
They are widely expected to return to the negotiation table next month - close to a decade after dialogue broke off.
There were concerns that the KMT-CCP channel - first established in 2005 when the KMT was still in opposition - could contradict or undermine the SEF-Arats dialogue.
But observers say the talks led by the KMT - which took power last week - could serve as a platform to iron out differences ahead of formal talks.
'When it comes to formal talks, there will be more constraints because each side will need to heed domestic pressures,' said Prof Chen.
'But the second track dialogue will allow the more sensitive issues to be discussed,' he told The Straits Times.
It was a point that Mr Wu stressed yesterday after his meeting with Mr Hu.
He also described the inter-party platform as 'an important asset' for promoting cross-strait peace. It would 'complement' instead of interfere with SEF-Arats talks.
His views were echoed by Mr Hu.
That the Chinese leader had invited Mr Wu to visit despite China's preoccupation with post-quake rescue efforts in Sichuan underscored the importance Beijing attached to the party-to-party dialogue.
'The meeting between the top leaders of the CCP and KMT signifies the end of the historical enmity between the rival parties,' said Prof Chen, referring to their pre-1949 contentions on the mainland before the KMT exiled itself to Taiwan.
'It is a major milestone.'
But President Ma Ying-jeou has sought to draw a fine line between KMT-led efforts and dialogue headed by the SEF.
While 'welcoming' exchanges which could promote cross-strait ties, his government stressed yesterday that the SEF was the only agency authorised to handle cross-strait ties and seal agreements.
Mr Ma is wary of being seen as putting the priorities of his KMT party - which advocates eventual reunification with China - above the interests of Taiwan, say analysts.
hwee@sph.com.sg
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