Taiwan's Ma urges China to scrap missiles

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou urged China on Monday to scrap the growing number of missiles aimed at the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own, adding he would not exclude the possibility of meeting the Chinese leadership one day. Taiwan planned to buy more weapons from the United States to protect itself, although it did not want an arms race with China as trade ties expand, with more deals expected to be signed in the coming year or so, Ma said. The 59-year-old Ma, who became chairman of the ruling Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT) over the weekend, said he would not rule out meeting Chinese leaders such as his counterpart Hu Jintao, but it was not his purpose of taking on the role as the party chair.Communist China has claimed Taiwan since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949 and has vowed to bring the island under mainland rule, by force if necessary. Despite political differences, commercial ties have flourished. China is Taiwan's largest trading partner with two-way trade worth more than $130 billion, while Taiwanese businesses have poured over $100 billion into the mainland.