The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is looking forward to dialogue across the Taiwan Strait to avoid any misunderstandings and misjudgements in maintaining cross-strait peace, DPP spokeswoman Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) said yesterday.
The DPP remains committed to dealing with cross-strait issues and looks forward to conducting dialogue with China’s new leadership following the conclusion of the Chinese Communist Party’s 19th National Congress, Wu said.
The congress ended on Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) emerging more powerful than ever after a leadership reshuffle and with no apparent successor.
In a speech at the congress, Xi maintained Beijing’s stance on Taiwan, opposing Taiwanese independence and saying that Taipei and Beijing can engage in dialogue if the “historical fact” that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to “one China” is recognized, something the DPP has not been willing to do.
However, Wu told reporters after a meeting of the DPP Central Standing Committee that the party looks forward to engaging in dialogue with China’s new leaders to jointly protect peace in the Taiwan Strait.
The DPP believes that cross-strait politics should not infringe upon the welfare of Taiwanese and Chinese, and both sides should do their best to maintain cross-strait exchanges and other rights, including Taiwanese’s right to determine their own future, she said.
Emphasizing that Taiwan would not return to an age of resistance, Wu said that the DPP government would not cave under pressure from Beijing.
As this year marks the 30th anniversary of people-to-people exchanges across the Taiwan Strait, the DPP hopes that both sides will remember how far they have come on cross-strait relations and work together to preserve the peace, she added.
In 1987, Taipei lifted a ban on veterans visiting China, paving the way for decades of warmer ties across the Taiwan Strait.
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