Taipei: Taiwan's new leader Ma Ying-jeou said today that unification with longtime rival China is unlikely "in our lifetimes" because Taiwanese oppose the mainland's authoritarian rule.

Ma's comments came just five day before his inauguration. Throughout his campaign, he pleaded to improve ties with Beijing after several rocky years, but cautioned that he would not seek to open negotiations about unification during his residency. Ma, 57,can serve a maximum of eight years.

His latest declaration, which came in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, threw expectations of unification even further into the future.

"It is very difficult for us to see any unification talks even in our lifetimes," Ma said. "Taiwanese people would like to have economic interactions with the mainland,but obviously they don't believe their political system is suitable for Taiwan."

Ma spoke at length on relations with the United States -the island's most important foreign partner - and Taiwan's willingness to help China cope with the earthquake that killed at least 20,00 people earlier this week.

But the bulk of his comments were about the island s tense political relations with the mainland, from which it split amid civil war in 1949. Taiwan as grown increasingly democratic over the past two decades, but authoritarian government remains entrenched in Beijing even as China has abandoned communism in all but name and developed into an economic giant.

While insisting he wants to maximise opportunities between Taiwan and China, especially in business, the Harvard-educated Ma went out of his way to down play the question of unification - Beijing long held goal.

Source : PTI