Hu meets KMT honorary chairman in Hawaii

Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, met here Friday with Lien Chan, honorary chairman of the Kuomintang, and both reaffirmed the "1992 Consensus" as the foundation for peaceful development of cross-Strait relations. The two met on the sidelines of the 19th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economic leaders' meeting. Thanks to joint efforts, major and positive changes in the situation across the Taiwan Strait have taken place over the past three years, and new prospects for peaceful development of cross-Strait ties have been opened, said Hu. It is a proven fact that the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties is in line with the common aspirations of the people on both sides of the strait, and serves the interests of all Chinese, said Hu. Hu urged the two sides to firmly grasp the theme of peaceful development of cross-Strait ties, consolidate the common political foundation for opposing "Taiwan independence" and recognizing the "1992 Consensus" so as to maintain the sound momentum of cross-Strait ties. The "1992 Consensus," reached by non-governmental groups of both sides under official authorization, is an objective reality, said Hu, adding that the soul of the consensus is to seek common ground while reserving differences, which reflects the pragmatic attitudes that both sides adopt to deal with political issues. He also said that recognizing the "1992 Consensus" is an essential precondition for cross-Strait dialogues and the major foundation for peaceful development of cross-Strait relations. Hu added that in order to maintain the stable situation in the Taiwan Strait and promote the well-being of the people on both sides of the strait, the two sides should continue to stick to the "1992 Consensus," step up political mutual trust and keep on opening up new prospects for advancing cross-Strait ties. Echoing Hu, Lien said it is comforting to see peaceful development of political ties, reciprocal trade arrangements and social interactions across the strait over the recent years. He also said that sticking to the "1992 Consensus" is fundamental for the peaceful development of cross-Strait political and economic relations, adding that he hoped the two sides would seek common ground while reserving differences so as to make even more positive contributions to the well-being of the people on both sides of the strait.