Cross-Straits negotiations urged to avoid double taxation on businessmen

    The central government hopes that the relevant trade organizations across the Taiwan Straits will hold talks to work out ways shortly to avoid double taxation on Taiwanese businessmen.

    "In order to safeguard the interests of Taiwanese businessmen, we hope that cross-Straits trade organizations can exchange views and reach consensus as soon as possible, in a bid to resolve the issue of double taxation," said Li.

    During the talks between Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and James Soong, chairman of the People First Party (PFP) in Taiwan, in May last year, an agreement was reached that the two parties would promote cross-Straits negotiations on how to avoid double taxation on Taiwanese business people.

    Mainland welcomes visits of DPP members in appropriate capacities

    "The majority of DPP members are different from a very few diehard 'Taiwan independence' proponents. We welcome them to visit the mainland and engage in exchanges in appropriate capacities," said Li.

    Li reiterated the mainland position that "no matter who he is and no matter what he said or did in the past, we are willing to engage in exchanges and contact with him on developing across-Straits relations as long as he accepts the one China principle."

    During the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in March, the committee's chairman Jia Qinglin asked several CPPCC members whether they ever contacted extreme "Taiwan independence" personnel during their visits to Taiwan.

    Jia expressed approval of contact with them so as to introduce to them the relevant mainland principles and policies and guide them to correctly view and handle issues in across-Straits relations, said the spokesman.

    Mainland wishes Taiwan to accept donated pandas

    The Chinese mainland wishes the Taiwan authorities can accept the two innocent donated giant pandas and don't politicize the issue.

    "It all depends on Taiwan authorities whether the giant pandas can arrive in Taiwan," said Li.

    The mainland has donated two pandas to Taiwan symbolizing unity, friendship and peace, which is welcomed by Taiwan people. But recently, some personages in Taiwan declared that the giant pandas should live a free life in nature, a reporter said.

    "From a professional perspective, both protection of natural habitat for endangered species and artificial propagation and breeding of them are important," Li said.

    The mainland wildlife protection agencies and researchers have made outstanding achievements in protecting giant pandas, he said.

    Currently, there are more than 1,800 giant pandas living in wild habitat and 180-plus giant pandas in captivity, he said.

    Li said the two giant pandas embody links of flesh and blood between compatriots of the two sides.

    A Chinese idiom "Fen Qin Zhu He" says the brutal actions to burn the musical instrument which can play melodious music and boil the crane, a noble bird, to eat.

    On the issue of donated pandas, we hope that no similar brutal actions happen to destroy the good feelings between compatriots on the two sides, he said.