Taiwan

Official urges steady development of cross-Straits ties

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-07 09:03

CHENGDU - China's top political advisor, Jia Qinglin, on Friday urged for efforts from both the mainland and Taiwan to further the continuous and steady development of the cross-Straits relations.

Jia, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while meeting with Kuomintang (KMT) honorary chairman Wu Poh-hsiung at a three-day cross-Straits forum on trade and culture which opened Friday in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province.

Compatriots from both sides on the Taiwan Straits should continue their joint efforts to oppose secessionists' activities seeking "Taiwan independence" and stick to the 1992 Consensus, wherein both sides of the Taiwan Straits adhere to the one-China principle, and work together to maintain the good situation in the cross-Straits relations so as to create better conditions for furthering cross-Straits ties in the future, Jia said.

Jia, also chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, called on both sides to make greater efforts towards the implementation of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), signed by both sides in June last year, and make substantial progress in related follow-up discussions.

Jia urged both sides to complete discussions concerning individual mainland tourist travel to the island and to start discussions for cooperation on nuclear power safety, including an information sharing mechanism during emergencies and related technology cooperation, and to reach a consensus in a speedy manner.

During the meeting, Wu said the peaceful development of cross-Straits ties in recent years is precious and should be well cherished, adding that currently relations between the two sides are following the correct direction and must not go backwards.

"I hope this cross-Straits forum on trade and culture will further boost the continuous and steady development of the relations between the mainland and Taiwan," said Wu.

Topics including the mainland's development blueprint for the 12th Five-Year period (2011-2015) and Taiwan's plan to embrace a "Golden Decade" of development will be discussed on the forum, the seventh of its kind, which will last until Sunday.

Participants will also discuss the implementation of the ECFA, cross-Straits educational and cultural cooperation, as well as youth exchanges at the forum which attracted about 450 people from both sides of the Taiwan Straits.