Senior Chinese leader Jia Qinglin said here Thursday that a new phase in exchanges across the Taiwan Strait has begun.
"Drawing on the wisdom of the Chinese nation, Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have effected the melting of ice of more than half a century in cross-Strait relations this year and opened the door of exchanges between political parties across the Strait," said Jia, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.
Jia said that at the invitation of the CPC Central Committee and its general secretary Hu Jintao, Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong have visited the mainland one after another. Chairman of New Party Yok Mu-ming also visited the mainland to join celebrations of the 60thanniversary of China's victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
"All these visits have injected a new lease of Spring in the development of cross-Strait relations," said Jia, who is also Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, at the first forum of elites from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
These visits which consisted of many moving scenes, Jia said, have greatly increased the mainland folks' understanding of the thoughts of Taiwan compatriots and removed much misunderstanding among the Taiwan people about the mainland.
"The scale of the influence and the emotional impact is rarely seen in the history of cross-Strait relations," said Jia.
Jia acknowledged that the formal talks General Secretary Hu Jintao held separately with Chairman Lien and Chairman Soong have produced important results.
The agreement that "aspiration and prospects for cross-Straits peace and development" reached between the CPC and the KMT and the consensus of "unity and cooperation across the Strait benefit bothsides, separation harms both and exchanges lead to a win-win situation" reached between the CPC and the PFP reflect the two sides' adherence to the "1992 consensus" and their common commitment to seeking common development on both sides of the Strait and pursuing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, said Jia.
"They also show to the world that the Chinese people on both sides of the Strait have the wisdom and ability to resolve their differences and build a new framework for the peaceful and steady development of cross-Strait relations," Jia said.
They also won the enthusiastic acclaim of compatriots on both sides of the Strait and high acclaim of the international media, which call the talks as having "activated a constructive process" and "opened a window of opportunity for cross-Strait peace," claimed Jia.
