China Voice: Xi-Chu meeting oils cross-Strait engine

BEIJING, May 4 -- Trumpeting confidence and mutual trust in his landmark meeting with Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu, Xi Jinping's down-to-earth, far-sighted remarks have broadened the view for the relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with Chu for the first time in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Monday. He called for both sides to build a community of shared destiny and settle political differences through equal consultations.

Their meeting came a full decade after Xi's predecessor, Hu Jintao, and then KMT chairman Lien Chan shook hands and talked in the first rendezvous between top leaders of the two parties in 60 years. The two parted stormy history to reveal a route re-linking the two shores with an agreement on the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

With an eventful 10 years passing, the engine of mainland-Taiwan relations needed oil to continue running and upgrades to run better. Monday's meeting was a maintenance service, reviewing experiences in the past and renewing the engine for the road ahead.

Admittedly, there are malfunctioning parts here and there caused by various issues -- notably, the "Taiwan independence" lot. So Xi's stressing that the two sides of the Strait should stick to the path of peaceful development under the 1992 Consensus and oppose "Taiwan independence" was much more than him trotting out the usual rhetoric.

Adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence" are the political foundations set down by both parties in thawing once-icy cross-Strait relations. To strengthen peace and development, various parties and common people in the island should heed the prerequisite.

During the meeting, Xi said the mainland is willing to prioritize Taiwan in opening-up, vowing to give more opportunities to ordinary people from Taiwan, protect the legitimate interests of Taiwanese businesses on the mainland and create a better environment for their development.

Following Xi's words, the mainland will likely make greater efforts to listen to the opinions of people from all walks of life in Taiwan, especially those at the grassroots level, to carry out more favorable policies.

Better cultural and educational exchanges are also a must as Xi proposed the two sides strengthen people's sense of Chinese identity regarding culture, tradition and nation.

It's been a good run. There are more laps to come with this serviced engine.