Vice-Premier Meets Taiwan's New Party Delegation

Vice-Premier Qian Qichen met Thursday with an eight-member delegation representing the New Party of Taiwan headed by Hsu Li-Nung.

Qian said he appreciated the New Party's stance in upholding the "one-China" principle and pursuing the goal of national reunification.

He said that the Chinese mainland has long been devoted to exchange and dialogue with parties from Taiwan that agree to the " one-China" principle, oppose "Taiwan Independence" and strive for developing cross-Straits relations.

Qian said the current dialogue between the delegation of the New Party and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee is a good experiment. The two sides reached common understanding on major issues concerning the cross- Straits relations and on the building of dialogue mechanism between the two sides.

Qian pointed out that the Taiwan authorities leader's opposition to the "one-China" principle has not only hindered the improvement of the cross-Straits relations, but also aggravated the political turbulence and economic plight on the island, which hurt the interests of the Taiwan people.

All of the 23 million Taiwan people, regardless of their nativity, are Chinese compatriots of flesh and blood, said Qian.

He urged Taiwan authorities to realize the direct ties in trade, transportation, and postal services across the Taiwan Straits as early as possible.

Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting.






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