Special report: Cross-Straits economic, trade forum 

    BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland scored a 10.2 percent growth in its gross domestic product in first quarter of this year, said Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, here Sunday.

    The mainland also achieved a 25 percent growth in import and export in the three months, said Hu at a meeting with Lien Chan, honorary chairman of the Taiwan-based Kuomintang party.

    The rapid economic growth and the big market of the mainland have created favorable conditions for further economic and trade cooperation across the Straits, along with opportunities for Taiwan compatriots to give full play to the talent in the mainland,said Hu.

    "Frankly speaking, we do not want to pursue excessively rapid economic growth. What we are seeking is efficiency and quality of development, the change in the the economic growth mode, resources conservation, environmental protection and improvement of people's livelihood," Hu said.

    This is the second meeting between Hu and Lien. They met for the first time in Beijing a year ago when Lien, then chairman of the Taiwan-based Kuomintang (KMT) party, had an "ice-breaking" journey to the mainland. It was also the first meeting between top leaders of the CPC and KMT in 60 years.

    In a bid to curb the excessive economic growth, the State Council, or China's cabinet, held an executive meeting on Friday, deciding to strengthen regulation of economic performance by adjusting and upgrading redundant production capacity, curbing new production capacity, improving efficiency of energy and raw material consumption and coordinating demand for and supply of energy and raw materials.

    The government is also to establish a mechanism to calculate, examine and disclose progress by local governments in raising energy efficiency and reducing discharges of pollutants and protecting farmland. Enditem