As China prepares for a power transfer later this year, Taiwan's president Ma Ying-jeou is optimistic about the future.
He says he expects China's next rulers to maintain improving relations and economic cooperation with Taiwan.
Ma took office in 2008 vowing to turn Taiwan from a "troublemaker" into a "peacemaker".
Asked about blind activist Chen Guangcheng, however, Ma said he was concerned about human rights in China.
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) TAIWAN PRESIDENT MA YING-JEOU SAYING:
"We will continue to pay attention to this issue, and we hope that the mainland can face some of the issues that have happened in the past and can treat dissidents well. We are looking at this from the point of view of kindness, not based on Western human rights values but traditional Chinese values,"
Ma's next steps: trying to build a foundation that will break down protectionism and promote free trade between the island and China.
Sarah Sheffer, Reuters
