The row over Taiwan's name at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival last weekend highlights the real hindrance to a potential meeting between the top leaders of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. China's reluctance to recognize the existence of the Republic of China (ROC) as a sovereign state prompted its official to block Taiwanese film workers from joining a star-studded green carpet walk in Tokyo under the name of Taiwan. This same mentality is also the real cause preventing a meeting between ROC President Ma Ying-jeou and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao. It is an issue that must be addressed if the two sides want to break new ground in their bilateral engagements following the signing of the landmark Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement in June. Creative thinking will be needed for the two sides to jointly craft a solution to this thorny issue. Since Beijing has defined the current cross-strait status quo as a hangover from the Chinese Civil War, the two sides should work out a 'pragmatic and parallel identity framework' based on this definition to pave the way for Ma and Hu to meet in their official capacities. Presidents of East Germany and West Germany called each other 'president' when they met, and such a move did not prevent their 'countries' from reunifying eventually. North Korean President Kim Jong-il similarly addressed the South Korean leader Kim Dae-jung as president when they met in 2000. At a time when Beijing is undergoing a leadership transition and wide-ranging social restructuring, Hu should seriously consider how to develop an 'identity framework' for the presidents of the ROC and the People Republic of China to meet in parity. That would be the best legacy he can leave his successor. Such a framework could also make a Ma-Hu meeting a reality. (Editorial abstract -- Oct. 25, 2010). 