This year’s Cross-strait Peaceful Development Forum between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has created a new political outlook, as the two sides have initiated cross-strait political communications, one of the forum’s organizers said as the event concluded in Beijing yesterday.
In his remarks at the two-day forum’s closing ceremony, KMT-sponsored National Policy Foundation vice executive director Sun Yang-ming (孫揚明) said the most important tasks ahead are furthering the so-called “1992 consensus,” exploring the possibility of ending cross-strait hostilities with a peace accord and institutionalizing cross-strait peace.
“Discussions of such issues rely on a forum like this, as they can be explored through various kinds of communications, which in turn holds the promise of a stable future and a peaceful environment for people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait,” Sun said.
Photo: Shih Hsiao-kuang, Taipei Times
Differences in opinion are inevitable at the start of political communication, Sun said, urging people to open their minds to different views to facilitate discussions and help all parties understand other ideas.
Sun added that cross-strait political communication is not only necessary, but an unavoidable trend.
The annual forum — the name of which was changed from the “Cross-strait Economic, Trade and Cultural forum” to the “Cross-strait Peaceful Development Forum” this year — began after then-KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) visited China in 2005.
This year’s forum featured a political panel for the first time to discuss mutual trust and amicable interactions across the Taiwan Strait.
After the forum, the KMT think tank held a press conference in Beijing to expound on the idea of establishing a cross-strait military mutual trust mechanism, which was touched upon at the meeting.
“After discussing the issue, participants agreed that it should first be explored from an academic perspective,” said former KMT legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), the convener of the think tank’s national security division.
With regard to KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) proposal that a cross-strait peace accord be inked during her visit to China, Lin said participants’ views on the issue varied, but they generally supported the idea of a peace accord, as the current situation across the Taiwan Strait is a “mixture of peace and belligerence.”
Asked whether now would be an opportune time for both sides to enter the “political deep-water zone,” Sun said that even Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Tien Hung-mao (田弘茂) has acknowledged that cross-strait ties would only get worse in the future.
“Such a situation has sparked grave concern and brought a high level of uncertainty to the future of Taiwanese. It is the No. 1 killer of economic development,” Sun said, adding that the KMT’s plan is to communicate its ideas with Beijing.
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