Wang Daohan, president of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), met with visiting Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan and his delegation in Shanghai on Monday.

Wang thanked Lien for paying him a visit during the KMT delegation's stay in Shanghai, and congratulated Lien on the achievements made by the KMT delegation during its mainland tour.

"We have worked very hard over the past two decades to increase people-to-people contacts and improve political relations across the Taiwan Straits, in an effort to live up to the aspirations and expectations of Chinese compatriots on both sides," Wang said. "In doing so, we have always harbored the good will of improving and pushing forward cross-Straits relations."

Despite the political differences between the two sides across the Straits, "we're all Chinese linked by the same blood and cultural background", said Wang. "Therefore we should work together to promote peace, development and cooperation in cross-Straits relations, strive for a win-win situation and contribute to the glorious future of the Chinese nation."

Wang said the basis of his two meetings with Koo Chen-fu, late chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), in 1992 and 1998 respectively, was the "1992 Consensus", which embodies the one-China principle. This is a fact that can be proved by letters and telegrams exchanged between the ARATS and SEF, as well as by reports of media organizations from both sides of the Straits, he said.

"The Taiwan side will be able to find proper solutions to all the issues it is concerned about as long as the two sides can resume talks on the basis of the '1992 Consensus'," said Wang, adding that everything can be discussed in the talks.

Wang also told Lien that the mainland was ready to join hands with the KMT and any other political parties, groups and individuals in Taiwan that endorse the "1992 Consensus" and oppose "Taiwan independence", to promote the peaceful and steady development of cross-Straits relations.

The KMT delegation arrived in Shanghai on Sunday on the fourth and final leg of its eight-day mainland tour.

(Xinhua News Agency May 2, 2005)