The Chinese mainland on Friday called for more exchanges across
the Taiwan Straits to pool wisdom and strength for mutually
beneficial cooperation.
"It is the common aspiration of compatriots on both sides of the
Straits to expand and deepen cross-Straits economic exchange and
cooperation so as to boost the peaceful and stable development of
cross-Straits relations and to attain the rejuvenation of the
Chinese nation," said Jia Qinglin, member of the Standing Committee
of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist
Party of China (CPC), at the opening of the Cross-Straits
Economic and Trade Forum.
Jia described the forum as another effort by the CPC and
Taiwan's Chinese Kuomintang Party to set up a platform for "persons
of insight" to come together and discuss ways of achieving mutually
beneficial cooperation across the Straits. Everything that concerns
the interests of compatriots across the Straits is open for
discussion at the two-day forum, he said.
Jia also criticized the leader of the Taiwan authorities for his
intensified efforts towards "Taiwan independence".
Jia was referring to Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian's decision in
February to cease the function of the Taiwan-based "National
Unification Council" and the application of the council's
guidelines on unification with the mainland.
"It is a serious challenge to the one-China principle, which is
widely upheld by the international community, and peace and
stability across the Straits," Jia said, adding that it is also a
"dangerous step" toward "Taiwan independence".
To safeguard the fundamental interests of compatriots on both
sides of the Straits, "we will not tolerate calls for 'Taiwan
independence'," Jia stressed.
(Xinhua News Agency April 14, 2006)
