Chinese President Jiang Zemin urged compatriots across the
Taiwan Straits
to step up contact and increase cooperation, and to make concerted
efforts towards a peaceful reunification of the motherland as early
as possible.
Jiang, also General Secretary of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China (CPC), made the call while meeting with a
delegation of China Reunification Alliance of Taiwan (CRAT) in
Beijing Monday.
President Jiang praised CRAT's unswerving efforts toward promoting
the development of relations across the Straits and the process of
reunification of the motherland and asked compatriots across the
Taiwan Straits to continue to promote the development of relations
across the Straits, and to work for direct mail, trade and
transport service between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland.
"Solving the issue of Taiwan and realizing a full reunification of
the motherland conform to the popular sentiments," said Jiang, "and
no body or force can hold up the historical tide."
"In the new century, we will continue to persist in the basic
principle of 'peaceful reunification, and one country, two systems'
and eight proposals I put forward in 1995 about promoting relations
across the Straits and advancing a peaceful reunification of the
motherland," Jiang went on.
Jiang noted that at present the fundamental obstacle for an
improvement and development in relations across the Taiwan Straits
is that Taiwan authorities refuse to accept the one-China
principle.
"We have again and again reiterated as long as Taiwan authorities
clearly accept the one-China principle, the relations across the
Straits can be ensured of a steady development, dialogues and
negotiations across the straits can also be resumed, " said Jiang,
who also pledged support to compatriots, groups and personages on
Taiwan who recognize the one-China principle and endorse the
reunification of the motherland.
( October 29, 2001)