BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhuanet) -- Sweeping tombs of 72 martyrs who laid down their lives in an uprising against imperial rule, and paying homage to the mausoleum of KMT founding father Dr. Sun Yat-sen..., the first ever Kuomintang (KMT) delegation from Taiwan has toured the mainland after a span of 56 years since 1949, and their journey has more or less looked like a root-tracing action.

    But as Jia Qinglin, a senior leader of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), extended invitation to KMT Chairman Lien Chan to visit the mainland at appropriate time during his Thursday meeting with the delegation, the historic journey has turned out to be, as cited by KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kung and the delegation head, an "icebreaking trip."

    Chiang and his delegation, who have traveled to Guangzhou and Nanjing in south and east China following their Monday arrival and is now in Beijing on their last leg, were greeted by a warm, high-level welcome with extensive media coverage throughout their journey.

    "Your visit has inaugurated the first herald of a dialogue between your party and our party," Chen Yunlin, director of the CPC Central Committee's Taiwan Work Office, told Chiang at their meeting Wednesday.

    The KMT, once China's powerful ruling party from late 1920s to 1940s, left the mainland for the island province of Taiwan in 1949at the end of a civil war against the Chinese People's Liberation Army led by CPC.

    "What the people now want is precisely to live and work in peace and contentment, and they do not want to see tension across the Taiwan Straits," Chiang said upon the delegation's arrival in Beijing Wednesday afternoon.

    "Through cross-Strait economic and trade exchanges, the tension in the region can be eased and the crisis dissolved or mitigated, "he added.

    Tension escalated across the Taiwan Straits over recent years as a result of the intensified "Taiwan independence" activities of Taiwan authorities headed by Chen Shui-bian. The escalating risk of Taiwan's secession from China prompted the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, to enact an Anti-Secession Law at its annual full session in March.

    The visit by the KMT delegation, which took place in the wake of the NPC legislation, was smeared by Taiwan authorities, but won extensive acclamation from both sides of the Straits.

    "The high-level reception accorded to the KMT delegation has given expressions to the mainland's policy toward Taiwan," said Shaw Chong-hai, a prestigious professor of the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan.

    "The mainland leaders have clearly stated that they are willing and ready to work with any units or individuals accepting the one-China principle to promote cross-Straits relations, no matter what he or she has said or done in the past," said Prof. Shaw, citing the four-point guidelines on cross-Straits relations set forth by President Hu Jintao in March.

    Zhang Hua, a researcher with the Taiwan Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the mainland's policy toward Taiwan has been consistent in the light of all the recent major events and actions relating to the island, including its earnest advancement for non-stop charter flights during the traditional Spring Festival and substantial ensuing efforts to operate such flights on a regular basis and plans to further step up agricultural cooperation and cooperation in numerous other fields.

    "Thus Chen Shui-bian's allegation that the Anti-Secession Law is a war bill proves to be a sheer distortion of the law," said Zhang.

    On China's leading news website www.sina.com.cn, netizens have posted some 10,000 comments on the historic visit, most of which applauded the KMT move and voiced the hope that the trip would help facilitate the peaceful reunification of the motherland.

    "A long-expected visit. You should have come earlier," says one comment.

    "Chen Shui-bian should stop leading the 23 million Taiwan people into a blind alley and to a dead end. Learn from the KMT and do some good, practical things that will be remembered by the future generations," another netizen urges.

    In his talks with Chiang Thursday, Jia, a member of the CPC's top decision-making body, the nine-person Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, called on all Chinese across the Taiwan straits to work together to "effectively check 'Taiwan independence' activities and ensure a peaceful and steady development of cross-Straits relations."

    "This is a broad, bright path," said Jia, who called "Taiwan independence" a "dead end".

    Moreover, Jia made it clear that the door for dialogue and talks remains open not only to the KMT, but also to other political parties in Taiwan that endorse the one-China principle.

    "In order to improve and develop cross-Straits ties, also we would like to invite the chairmen of other political parties in Taiwan who accept the '1992 Consensus,' oppose 'Taiwan Independence' and advocate the development of cross-Straits relations to visit the mainland," Jia said. Enditem