Photo taken on Dec. 31, 2008 shows a
ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of the announcement of Message
to Compatriots in Taiwan held in Beijing, capital of China. The Chinese
mainland commemorated the 30th anniversary of the announcement of Message
to Compatriots in Taiwan here Wednesday with a ceremony attended by three
top leaders including President Hu Jintao. (Xinhua
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
BEIJING,
Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao offered six proposals to promote the
peaceful development of the cross-Straits relationship in a speech to
commemorate the 30th anniversary of the mainland's "Message to Compatriots in
Taiwan" here on Wednesday.
Hu said the mainland is willing to discuss with
Taiwan proper and reasonable arrangements for Taiwan's participation in
international organizations, as long as this does not create a scenario of "two
Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan".
Although the two sides of the Taiwan Straits have
been split since 1949 by a civil war, the political confrontation between them
did not change the fact that they belonged to one China, he said.
"Once the two sides reach a common understanding and
accordant stance on the principle of one China, the foundation of political
mutual trust will be laid and anything can be talked about between the two
sides," he said. "Anything that is conducive to peaceful development across the
Straits, we will greatly promote. Anything that harms it, we will firmly
oppose."
Hu proposed that the two sides end hostility and
reach peaceful agreements under the one China principle.
The two sides can start discussion about political
relations under the special condition before reunification in a pragmatic
manner, he said.
He also suggested the two sides to step up contacts
and exchanges on military issues "at an appropriate time" and talk about a
military security mechanism of mutual trust, in a bid to stabilize cross-Straits
relations and ease concerns about military security.
Chinese President Hu Jintao addresses a
ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of the announcement of Message
to Compatriots in Taiwan, held in Beijing, capital of China, on Dec. 31,
2008. The Chinese mainland commemorated the 30th anniversary of the
announcement of Message to Compatriots in Taiwan here Wednesday with a
ceremony. (Xinhua Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
The
President's speech on the new year's eve came after the mainland and Taiwan
realized historical direct links of transport, trade and post services.
Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of
China Central Committee, sent a message in his speech which urged the Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP) to "clearly understand the situation and stop
secessionist activities".
"If the DPP could change its 'Taiwan independence'
stance, we would make a positive response to them," he said.
He said that all those who had advocated or got
involved in secessionist activities, or followed suit are welcome to return to
the right direction of promoting peaceful development of cross-Straits ties.
To accompany his political stance, Hu made trade
appeals to the island, proposing both sides should establish a collaboration
mechanism by economic agreement which "would be mutually beneficial to both
sides".
"We continue to welcome and support Taiwan companies'
business in the mainland and encourage mainland enterprises to invest in
Taiwan," he said. "We expect to normalize economic relations across the Straits
and establish an economic cooperation mechanism."
The president also stressed the common cultural
heritage inherited by the people living on both the mainland and the island,
saying that all Chinese should promote China's traditional civilization with
strengthened spiritual ties.
"We will continue to take measures to push forward
cross-Straits cultural and educational exchange to a broader and higher stage,
including conferring with Taiwan on a cultural and educational exchange
protocol," Hu said.
He called on both the mainland and Taiwan to increase
communication and exchange in all circles and the mainland will actively respond
to any constructive proposals from the island which will boost peaceful
development of the cross-Straits relations.
Hu was addressing a ceremony to commemorate the 30th
anniversary of the mainland's major policy change on Taiwan.
Presided over by China's top legislator Wu Bangguo,
the ceremony had drawn several other prominent delegates from the government,
students and Taiwan compatriots living in the mainland to give speeches.
The Standing Committee of the National People's
Congress (NPC),China's top legislature, issued the "Message to Compatriots in
Taiwan" on Jan. 1, 1979.
In this statement, the mainland first proposed to end
the military confrontation across the Taiwan Straits through dialogues and
welcomed exchanges between the two sides.
Chinese President Hu Jintao (Front)
addresses a ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of the
announcement of Message to Compatriots in Taiwan, held in Beijing, capital
of China, on Dec. 31, 2008. The Chinese mainland commemorated the 30th
anniversary of the announcement of Message to Compatriots in Taiwan here
Wednesday with a ceremony. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland
commemorated the 30th anniversary of its "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan" here
Wednesday with a ceremony attended by three top leaders, including President Hu
Jintao.
The Standing Committee of the National People's
Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, issued the "Message to Compatriots in
Taiwan" on Jan. 1, 1979. Full story
SHANGHAI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland
announced here on Sunday 10 measures of economic cooperation with Taiwan aimed
at jointly coping with the global financial crisis.
The measures include the support for the development of
Taiwanese-funded companies in the mainland, promotion of two-way investment and
so on, said Wang Yi, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party
of China Central Committee, at the conclusion of the 4th Cross-Straits Economic,
Trade and Cultural Forum. Full story
Passengers from southeast China's Taiwan
gesture before boarding the plane at the airport in Shenzhen, south
China's Guangdong Province, Dec. 15, 2008. A Shenzhen Airlines flight took
off from the Shenzhen Airport for Taiwan at 7:20 Beijing Time (2320 GMT
Dec. 14), the first when the Chinese mainland and Taiwan started direct
air and sea transport and postal services Monday morning. (Xinhua
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland and
Taiwan started direct air and sea transport and postal services on Monday amid
warming ties, ending a 59-year ban on such links.
Formerly, air and sea movements -- including mail -- had
to go by way of a third place.
The direct daily transport started as a mainland-based
Shenzhen Airlines flight took off from the Shenzhen Airport for Taipei at 7:20
a.m.(2320 GMT Sunday), which was followed by a Taiwan-based TransAsia Airways
jetliner from Taipei to Shanghai. Full story
Photo taken on Dec. 11, 2008 shows the
giant Pandas Tuan Tuan (L) and Yuan Yuan, who will be sent to Taiwan, eat
bamboos in a breeding base in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province.
This pair of giant pandas is scheduled to travel to the Taiwan island on
Dec. 23. They are expected to meet the public at the Spring Festival, the
Chinese lunar new year, but that will depend on how they adapt to the new
environment. (Xinhua Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
YA'AN, Sichuan, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- A pair of giant pandas
offered by the Chinese mainland to Taiwan left here Tuesday for the island.
The pandas left Ya'an, Sichuan, at around 8:20 a.m. in an
enclosed truck. They would first be transported to Sichuan's provincial capital
of Chengdu, about 120 km from Ya'an, and then be flown to Taiwan on Tuesday
afternoon. Full story
The 4th Cross-Straits Economic, Trade
and Cultural Forum between the Chinese mainland and southeast China's
Taiwan begins in Shanghai, east China, Dec. 20, 2008. (Xinhua
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
SHANGHAI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The 4th Cross-Straits
Economic, Trade and Cultural Forum between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan began
here Saturday morning.
Jia Qinglin, member of the Standing Committee of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, and
Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung and Honorary Chairman Lien Chan
attended. Full story
Wu Bangguo, chairman of the National
People's Congress Standing Committee, presides over a ceremony
commemorating the 30th anniversary of the announcement of Message to
Compatriots in Taiwan held in Beijing, capital of China, on Dec. 31, 2008.
The Chinese mainland commemorated the 30th anniversary of the announcement
of Message to Compatriots in Taiwan here Wednesday with a ceremony
attended by three top leaders including President Hu Jintao. (Xinhua/Yao
Dawei) Photo
Gallery>>>
