President Hu offers six proposals for peaceful development of cross-Straits relationship
31/12/2008 17:13
President Hu Jintao offered six proposals to promote the peaceful
development of the cross-Straits relationship in a speech to commemorate the
30th anniversary of the mainland's "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan" in Beijing
today.
Hu said the mainland is willing to discuss with Taiwan proper and
reasonable arrangements for Taiwan's participation in international
organizations, as long as this does not create a scenario of "two Chinas" or
"China and Taiwan".
Although the two sides of the Taiwan Straits have been
split since 1949 by a civil war, the political confrontation between them did
not change the fact that they belonged to one China, he said.
"Under a common
understanding of 'one China', anything can be talked about between the two
sides," he said. "Anything that is conducive to peaceful development across the
Straits, we will greatly promote. Anything that harms it, we will firmly
oppose."
Hu also proposed that the two sides stop confrontations and reach
peaceful agreements. He said the two sides should step up political talks and
increase military contacts and exchanges to ease cross-Straits tension and
reduce worries about military security.
He said both sides can talk about a
comprehensive economic cooperation agreement to establish a collaboration
mechanism with special cross-Straits characteristics, which would be
complementary and mutually beneficial to both sides.
Hu said he hoped that
Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party could clearly understand the situation and
stop secessionist activities. "If the party could abandon its 'Taiwan
independence' stance, we would make a positive response to them," he said.
He
said that all those who have advocated and been involved in secessionist
activities were welcome to return to the right direction of peaceful
reunification.
"We continue to welcome and support Taiwan companies' business
in the mainland and encourage mainland enterprises to invest in Taiwan," he
said. "We expect to normalize economic relations across the Straits and
establish an economic cooperation mechanism."
The President also stressed the
common cultural heritage inherited by the people living on both the mainland and
the island, saying that all Chinese should promote China's traditional
civilization with strengthened spiritual ties.
"We will continue to take
measures to push forward cross-Straits cultural and educational exchanges to a
broader and higher stage, including conferring with Taiwan on a cultural and
educational exchange protocol," Hu said.
He called on both the mainland and
Taiwan to increase communication and exchange in all circles and the mainland
will actively respond to any constructive proposals from the island which will
boost a peaceful development of the cross-Straits relations.
Hu, also general
secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, was addressing a
ceremony to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the mainland's major policy
change on Taiwan.
Presided over by China's top legislator Wu Bangguo, the
ceremony had drawn several other prominent delegates from the government,
students and Taiwan compatriots living in the mainland to give speeches.
The
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top
legislature, issued the "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan" on Jan. 1,
1979.
In this statement, the mainland first proposed to end the military
confrontation across the Taiwan Straits through dialog and welcomed exchanges
between the two sides.
Xinhua
|
