A senior Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) official responsible for China affairs yesterday said the party welcomed continued deepening of ties between Taiwan and China, as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) pledged to expand relations across the Taiwan Strait this year.
Opening the fifth annual session of the 11th National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing, Wen proposed strengthening the foundation for cross-strait political, economic, cultural and public development, adding that China would create new prospects for cross-strait peace.
Wen’s statement was likely to have come as a result of the KMT’s Jan. 14 election success, which has allowed the two sides to maintain interactions in accord with the (so-called) “1992 consensus,” said Kao Huei (高輝), director of the KMT’s Mainland Affairs Department.
The “1992 consensus” refers to what the KMT describes as a tacit cross-strait understanding that there is only “one China,” with each side free to interpret the meaning of the phrase.
“We really welcome continued peaceful and stable development of cross-strait relations,” Kao said.
The KMT also expressed hope that China’s “two meetings” — the NPC and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), as well as the 18th -National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party later this year — would go smoothly, the official said.
The reason, he said, is that the development of China’s politics and economics will be closely related to future cross-straits ties and the Taiwanese public’s confidence in relations with China.
Kao also expressed hope that Beijing would understand the “wise decisions” Taiwanese voters made and would not ignore the fact that many Taiwanese still have doubts about current Taiwan-China exchanges.
The reasons might be complicated, which shows that the two sides have not built enough mutual trust, Kao said.
Thus, “increasing mutual trust across the Strait is a major goal in the future development of cross-strait relations.”
The Asian studies expert took Chinese students studying in Taiwan as an example. To them, Taiwanese are “familiar strangers” because of the two sides’ differences in systems and values. The two groups seem to be on good terms, but are actually unfamiliar with each other, Kao said.
The KMT’s role is especially important in this, since it is shaping the direction of cross-strait relations as the ruling party, Kao said.
“The KMT plays a very important role in fostering mutual cross-strait trust and understanding. It must convey the voice of the Taiwanese to China in a responsible and thorough manner,” he said.
Kao reiterated President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) stance that the party would stick to the principle of “putting Taiwan first for the benefit of the people” when communicating and engaging with China.
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