BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with visiting Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung here Tuesday,
promising to kick-start talks on cross-Straits economic co-op pact and to avoid
"internal struggle" in foreign affairs.
The two agreed to further implement the common
prospects for peaceful cross-Straits development, agreed by leaders of the two
parties in 2005, said a statement issued after their meeting.
Hu Jintao (R), general secretary of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with Kuomintang
(KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung in Beijing, capital of China, on May 26,
2009.(Xinhua/Rao Aimin) Photo Gallery>>>
Both sides would maintain the political foundation
that they oppose "Taiwan independence" and stick to the 1992 Consensus, the
statement said. Both will "work to intensify mutual trust."
They would begin talks about the economic cooperation
agreement as early as possible and promote exchanges between cultural and
educational sectors, it said.
Hu Jintao (3rd L), general secretary of
the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with
Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung in Beijing, capital of China, on
May 26, 2009.(Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) Photo Gallery>>>
AVOIDING "INTERNAL
STRUGGLE"
"Both sides held that they should avoid internal
struggle in foreign affairs and work for the interests of all Chinese," the
statement said.
Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly
(WHA) earlier this month showed the mainland's sincerity in pushing forward the
peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, said Hu at the meeting with Wu.
"It indicated Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan
Straits have the ability and wisdom to properly solve issues concerning the
island's participation in activities of international institutions," he said.
"We hope it is conducive to promoting Taiwan
compatriots' understanding on the mainland and the peaceful development of
cross-Straits relations," he said.
ECONOMIC CO-OP TALKS
EXPECTED
The mainland expects talks about a cross-Straits
economic cooperation agreement to start in the latter half of this year, Hu
said. "Both sides should push forward the preparation work for signing the
agreement," Hu said.
In the near term, the mainland would continue
focusing on economic cooperation, and the top priority was to jointly tackle the
impact of the global downturn, he said.
"We have adopted some measures to pull through this
crisis together with you [Taiwan people], as compatriots on the two sides of the
Taiwan Straits belong to one family," he said. "We will continue doing this if
the situation requires us to."
The mainland prefers an economic agreement that will
benefit economic development on both sides, improve people's welfare and
contribute to a cooperative mechanism that fits the cross-Straits reality, he
said.
END HOSTILITY, REACH
PEACE AGREEMENT
Promoting the formal end of cross-Straits hostility
and reaching a peace agreement was the goal set forth by the common prospects
for peaceful cross-Straits development, agreed by leaders of the two parties in
2005, Hu said.
The mainland proposed the two sides conduct pragmatic
discussion on issues concerning political relations and establishing a mechanism
of mutual trust on cross-Straits military security under the circumstances that
the country has not been reunified, he said.
Cross-Straits negotiations should be conducted
step-by-step and with a proper pace by putting economic and simple issues first
and gradually moving on to tackle political and difficult problems, he said.
"The two sides, however, should be prepared and
create conditions for solving these problems," he said. The two sides could
start with contacts in "initial form" and accumulate experience to gradually
tackle difficult issues.
MUTUAL TRUST
HIGHLIGHTED
Mutual trust based on opposing "Taiwan independence"
and sticking to the 1992 Consensus since last May helped solve a series of
complicated problems in cross-Straits relations, Hu said.
Consolidating and promoting political mutual trust
was especially important for developing future ties, including gradually solving
some difficult political issues, he said. "Sticking to the principle that the
mainland and Taiwan belong to one China is the key point."
Hu said the KMT and CPC shouldered historic
responsibility in promoting peaceful development of cross-Straits ties.
Inter-party exchanges and dialogue, especially at
high levels, would play an irreplaceable role in maintaining the momentum of
development of cross-Straits relations, he said.
The CPC-KMT forum held since 2006 was a successful
platform, Hu said. It should be continued and improved.
Hu also stressed grassroots people's role in pushing
forward ties.
The Straits Forum held earlier this month had
highlighted the participation and interaction between people across the Straits,
he said.
Hu called for more effort to carry out cultural and
educational exchanges across the Straits, saying there was both "great demand
and potential."
POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM
WU
Wu said that in the past year, the two sides had
built mutual trust and shelved disputes, sought common ground while resolving
differences and enhanced cooperation for peace, common prosperity and
reciprocity.
"The fruitful achievements in the development of the
cross-Straits relationship should be attributed to the two sides' political
mutual trust, which are based on the adherence to the '1992 consensus' and
opposing 'Taiwan independence'," he said.
Wu said the peaceful development of cross-Straits
ties conformed to the expectations of people on both sides and the international
community.
The majority of Taiwan people have felt the positive
effects of the cross-Straits exchanges and consultations and become more
supportive of the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, he said.
"It has been proven that we're heading the right
direction," Wu said. "We should and must go on in that direction."
He expressed the hope that both sides would further
enhance mutual trust, solve differences and seek consensus, actively promote
healthy interaction and steadily accumulate experience from solving problems to
create together peace, stability, development and prosperity.
Amid the global downturn, the two sides should give
each other more support, Wu said, adding that relevant departments of both two
sides should accelerate work on signing the cross-Straits economic cooperation
framework agreement and start consultations as soon as possible.
They should also deepen and expand cooperation in
culture, education, academia, science and technology, sports, arts and among
young people, he said.
The new round of the CPC-KMT forum, scheduled for
July in Changsha, capital of the central Hunan Province, would highlight
cultural and educational exchanges, Wu told a press conference Tuesday.
During the talks, Wu wished success for the Shanghai
World Expo2010 and the Guangzhou Asian Games, while Hu also extended his best
wishes to the World Games 2009 in Kaohsiung and the 21st Deaf Olympics in
Taipei.
DIRECTION
Experts hail the statement issued by the two parties
as pointing out a direction for the cross-Straits peaceful development in the
future.
"Only when both sides continue to strengthen mutual
political trust can we solve those hard problems in the cross-Straits economic
and political issues," said Guo Zhenyuan, researcher from the China Institute of
International Studies, referring to Hu's remarks on the importance of mutual
political trust.
Guo said Hu's remarks on strengthening the
cross-Straits education exchange was meaningful. "In order to improve a peaceful
relationship, both sides must strengthen the cultural ties between the people,
removing the negative effects some 'Taiwan-independence' groups have on the
people on the island."
Wu Nengyuan, a Taiwan affairs researcher from the
Fujian Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, said, "although now is not the
right time to solve political issues, the two sides have already developed some
kind of proximity."
He said in the future the two sides might hopefully
understand each other more at an academic level and build up deeper trust.
"When the time comes, they will naturally talk about
more," he added.
Wu Poh-hsiung arrived in Beijing Monday for an
eight-day visit to the mainland. Wang Yi, director of the State Council Taiwan
Affairs Office, said Monday that Wu's visit was the most important event in this
year's cross-Straits relations.
Hu and Wu first met in Beijing last May 28, days
after the KMT's Ma Ying-jeou was inaugurated as Taiwan leader.
They met again in August 2008 when Wu was invited to
attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games.
BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Hu Jintao, general
secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with
visiting Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung here Tuesday afternoon,
achieving "important progress" on cross-Strait issues.
The two agreed to further implement the common
prospects for peaceful cross-Strait development, agreed by leaders of the two
parties in 2005, said a statement issued after their meeting. Full story
BEIJING, May 26
(Xinhua) -- Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA) showed
sincerity from the Chinese mainland, said Hu Jintao, general secretary of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, here Tuesday.
Taiwan's participation in the WHA indicated Chinese
on both sides of the Taiwan Straits have the ability and wisdom to properly
solve issues concerning the island's participation in activities of
international institutions, he said at a meeting with visiting Kuomintang (KMT)
Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung. Full story
BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland
expects talks about a cross-Strait economic cooperation agreement to start in
the latter half of this year, said President Hu Jintao here Tuesday.
"Both sides should push forwards the preparation work
for signing the agreement," said Hu, general secretary of the Communist Party of
China (CPC) Central Committee, at a meeting with visiting Kuomintang (KMT)
Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung. Full story
Liu Qi (R), member of the Political
Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and
chief of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, meets with Kuomintang (KMT)
Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung in Beijing, capital of China, on May 26,
2009.(Xinhua Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Kuomintang (KMT)
Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung met Beijing Party head Liu Qi Tuesday morning to discuss
economic cooperation between Taiwan and the city.
"There will be a wide range of cooperation potential,"
said Liu Qi, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Beijing Municipal
Committee, as he introduced to Wu the cooperation and exchanges between Taiwan
and Beijing. Full story
Jia Qinglin (R), chairman of the
National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative
Conference, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the
Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, shakes
hands with Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung during their meeting at
the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 25,
2009.(Xinhua/Li Xueren) Photo
Gallery>>>
BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese top political
advisor Jia Qinglin met with Taiwan-based Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu
Poh-hsiung and his delegation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Monday
afternoon.
Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said the cross-Straits
relationship had made breakthroughs after a historic turning point in the past
year. Full story
Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung
(L, Front), receives a gift, a Beijing opera mask of Guanyu who is general
serving under the warlord Liubei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and
Three Kingdoms era of China, at Huguang Guildhall in Beijing, capital of
China, on May 25, 2009. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli) Photo
Gallery>>>
Wang Yi (R, Front), director of the
State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, shakes hands with Kuomintang (KMT)
Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung at the Beijing Capital International Airport in
Beijing on May 25, 2009. A KMT delegation headed by Wu arrived in Beijing
on Monday for an visit on the mainland. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli) Photo
Gallery>>>
BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu
Poh-hsiung arrived in Beijing Monday noon, at the start of an eight-day visit to
the mainland.
Wang Yi, director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs
Office, welcomed him at Beijing Capital Airport. Full
story
Taiwan leader vows to improve
cross-Straits relations TAIPEI,
May 19 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou says improving mainland-Taiwan
relations and building cross-Straits peace will be a priority for the island in
the next few years.
Ma made the remark at a Tuesday press conference held in
Taipei to mark his one year in office.Full story
XIAMEN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- China's top political adviser
Jia Qinglin on Sunday called for the "most broad-based" exchanges and
cooperation between the mainland and Taiwan for the peaceful development of
cross-Straits ties.
"We should promote the cross-Straits exchanges and
cooperation to the most broad-based spheres and to the grassroots level, and
encourage the involvement of the public to the maximum extent," said Jia,
chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference. Full story
XIAMEN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland will
soon send its businesses in various industries to visit Taiwan to discuss
investment plans amid efforts to help the island cope with the global economic
downturn, the mainland's Taiwan affairs chief WangYi said Sunday.
Meanwhile, the mainland will encourage Taiwan
businesses to expand market on the mainland and participate in the mainland's
construction of infrastructure and key projects, said Wang, director of the
State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a centerpiece conference of the Straits
Forum that opened in the southeastern city of Xiamen on Saturday. Full story
XIAMEN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China's top political
advisor Jia Qinglin met people of all circles from both sides of the Taiwan
Straits attending the largest-yet unofficial cross-Straits forum Saturday
afternoon.
The week-long Straits Forum that kicked off on
Saturday evening was attended by more than 8,000 Taiwan guests. It features 18
activities including a centerpiece conference, a trade fair, a cultural week, a
tourism forum and a seminar on traditional Chinese medicine. Full story
Guests from the Chinese mainland and
southeast China's Taiwan attend the opening ceremony of the Straits Forum
in Xiamen, a coastal city in southeast China's Fujian Province, May 16,
2009. More than 8,000 Taiwan guests have arrived for the forum and related
activities. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong) Photo
Gallery>>>
XIAMEN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland and
Taiwan Saturday kicked off the largest-yet unofficial cross-Straits forum and
carnival at a place which used to be the frontline of Communist-Kuomintang
rivalry decades ago.
Fireworks glittered the skies above the Taiwan
Straits, and music and applause overflowed from the Exhibition and Convention
Center of Xiamen, a coastal city in southeastern Fujian Province which faces
Taiwan across the sea and was the frontline of mainland-Taiwan artillery duels
from the 1950s till the 1970s. Full story
XIAMEN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland
will open five more ports for direct shipping service with Taiwan, bringing the
total such ports to 68, a mainland transport official said Saturday.
The ports to be opened are in the provinces of Anhui,
Shandong and Zhejiang, said Song Dexing, director of the Water Transport
Department with the Ministry of Transport, at a round table meeting on direct
shipping across the Taiwan Straits. Full story
XIAMEN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chu Li-lun, vice chairman
of Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang (KMT) Party, said here Saturday the Straits Forum,
as the first "grassroots" exchange event between Taiwan and the Chinese
mainland, is "significant" for the future development of the two sides and
deepening of mutual understanding.
Chu, who is in the mainland city Xiamen to attend the
Straits Forum that opens Saturday evening, told reporters the exchanges between
the public of the two sides will also play an important role in facilitating
economy and trade and pushing for joint efforts to cope with financial
crisis. Full story
