Taipei - Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, in his New Year speech on Thursday, vowed to seek peace with China while safeguarding the island's sovereignty.

Braving a morning chill, Ma joined tens of thousands in Taipei for a traditional national flag-raising ceremony in front of the Presidential Office.

In his New Year speech, Ma said that 2008 saw the start of Taiwan-China economic and trade normalization by launching air, sea and postal links.

The task for 2009 is to promote exchanges and trade across the Taiwan Strait while safeguarding Taiwan's sovereignty and dignity, he said.

Taiwan has faced international isolation and military threats from China since 1949, when the Chinese Civil War split Taiwan and China.

Ma also also welcomed six proposals to promote ties with Taiwan made by Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday, which include discussing the political relationship between the two countries ahead of unification, launching military mutual trust and economic mechanisms, letting Taiwan join international organizations and holding talks with Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) if it renounces independence for Taiwan.

Hu stressed that any attempt to "separate Taiwan is doomed to failure."

Taiwan's response, read by Ma's spokesman Wang Yu-chi, said Hu's speech showed some changes in China's policy towards Taiwan. "We are happy to see the promotion of consultation and exchange on the basis of 'peaceful development' with the goal of ending hostility," it said.

Wang praised Hu for his "new" and "practical" thinking and for his efforts in promoting cross-strait ties, but stressed that Taiwan is a free society and Taiwan people have different ideas about Taiwan's future, and the government must respect these opinions.

However, he reiterated Ma's 2008 inauguration pledge, that during his four-year term, he would maintain the status quo - no unification, no independence and no war (with China).

While the Taiwan government welcomed Hu's speech, the pro-independence DPP remained cautious and rejected Hu's offer for talks.

DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ying-wen said Thursday that Hu made no compromise in his speech because he still upheld the "one-China" policy and saw Taiwan as a province, so Taiwan should see through China's plot to swallow Taiwan. (dpa)