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Hong Kong key to cross-strait relations: Tung

Hong Kong's former leader Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) told state media on Saturday that the territory, which was handed back to China in 1997 by Britain, had a key role to play in improving China-Taiwan relations.

"I believe, with the peaceful and steady development of cross-strait relations, relations between Hong Kong and Taiwan will surely be deepened," said Tung, now vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"Hong Kong will, undoubtedly, further play its unique role in promoting economic integration across the [Taiwan] Strait and make [a] contribution to the country's peaceful reunification," Tung said.

Tung also quoted Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) as saying: "Whatever is beneficial to promoting the country's peaceful reunification, we will try our best to do it, and will do it well."

It clearly shows the central authorities' sincerity and determination to realize peaceful unification of the motherland, Tung said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The former Hong Kong chief executive was speaking in a special interview to the communist party mouthpieces Xinhua, the People's Daily newspaper and China Central Television (CCTV) to mark the 11th anniversary of a landmark speech outlining China's Taiwan policy by former Chinese president Jiang Zemin (江澤民).

The first Lunar New Year flight between Taiwan and China landed in Shanghai on Friday, kicking off the now annual frenzy of passengers taking advantage of the holidays to fly directly across the Taiwan Strait.

This is the third year that charter flights have operated between China and Taiwan for Lunar New Year. Taiwan normally bans direct transport links with China, only allowing exchanges with stops in third ports.

Even this year's Lunar New Year flights had to go through Hong Kong airspace, adding to the travel time.
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