The historic meeting between Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou has been closely watched and drawn favorable response from Taiwan media and public on Saturday. [Special coverage]
All leading TV news channels in Taiwan live broadcast the meeting and two press conferences afterwards on Saturday afternoon, while local news websites bombarded readers with timely updated stories about the event.
Some news channels carefully counted how many words the open speeches of two leaders had, how long the speeches are, comparing their manners, speech styles and even the color of ties.
The footage of the historic hand-shake has been repeatedly broadcast on TV till Saturday night.
"The leaders themselves were comfortable with each other. They did not act like strangers that have never met before. It is very moving for an onlooker like me," said Cheng You-ping, head of the political and economic research center of Taipei University, in an interview with Xinhua.
The outcome of the meeting showed that the two sides shared many concerns and have reached consensus on several key issues, for instance, the 1992 Consensus and common commitment to the revival of Chinese nation, Cheng said.
"We are indeed a family and one community of shared destiny that can not be separated," he said.
In a short statement, Eric Chu, chairman of the island ruling party Kuomintang (KMT), reiterated that the meeting has been a milestone for cross-Strait relations and KMT is glad to see any move that contribute to cross-Strait peace.
Wang Jin-pyng, head of the island's legislature, also applauded the significance of the meeting, adding that he expects the two sides to work together for peace and prosperity after the meeting.
In a published article, Charles Kao, founder and CEO of Taiwan-based Global Views Monthly, called Ma and Xi "the peace-maker and miracle-maker".
Citing his personal experience, Kao said that he considers Taiwan "where my heart belongs" and the mainland "where my soul rests".
"I am Chinese, Taiwanese as well as Nanjinger (a resident of eastern Chinese city of Nanjing). My biggest wish is peace across the Strait," he said.
Wang June-shune, a businessman based in Kinmen, a small island attached to Taiwan but very near the mainland, has witnessed his hometown change from the front-line of military confrontation between two sides of the Strait to a busy business and tourist frontier in recent years.
"We are happy to see that two leaders met and pretty sure that the meeting will benefit locals. It will be a great boost for business and investment," he told Xinhua.
Vincent Hsu, a Taiwan businessman who have business in the mainland and Hong Kong, watched the TV live broadcast and eagerly published a dozen posts at his social media account.
He appreciated that two leaders both expressed commitment to the 1992 Consensus, the political foundation for cross-Strait peace, at the meeting.
"Only if we built up political mutual trust, will cross-Strait relations not backtrack and peace will sustain," he said.
