Qian Told Taiwan Visitors: Direct Talks "Beneficial"

Chinese Vice-Premier Meets Delegation From Taiwan

Chinese Vice-premier Qian Qichen met in Beijing Wednesday with a delegation, headed by Feng Hu-hsiang, from Taiwan's New Party.

During the meeting, Qian said he appreciated the New Party's agreement with the consensus made in 1992 between the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) that "both sides of the straits stick to the One-China principle."

The vice-premier said the resumption of contact and talks between the ARATS and the SEF will be beneficial to the development of cross-Straits relations, the objection to "Taiwan Independence", and the protection of rights and interests of Chinese people on both sides of the Straits.

Qian, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said the resumption of dialogue along with exchanges of mail service, trade and air and shipping services, known as the "three direct links," are the common wishes of Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

The Taiwan delegation arrived in Beijing on July 9 at the invitation of the ARATS.