Today, the new leader in Taiwan has reaffirmed the 1992 Consensus and cross-Strait relations have shown sound momentum toward relaxation and improvement. The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) had their first meeting after a hiatus of nine years. Direct charter flights on weekends between the two sides have been launched, and tourists from the mainland have visited Taiwan. More major steps aimed at promoting the people-to-people, economic and cultural exchanges between the two sides of the Strait are now under discussion.

The current and coming period will be crucial for the development of cross-Strait relations. We are ready to work for practical solutions to the various issues under the principle of "building mutual trust, laying aside disputes, seeking consensus while shelving differences and jointly creating a win-win situation" so as to create conditions for the further growth of cross-Strait relations.

Five years ago, President Bush publicly stated his opposition to "Taiwan independence." That statement had a positive impact worldwide. It won the appreciation and respect of the Chinese people, and contributed to the continued growth of China-U.S. relations. Today, five years after that statement, we hope the U.S. side will stick to its commitment, adhere to the one China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiqués, and oppose "Taiwan independence." We hope the United States will support improvement of relations and the realization of common development between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. This serves the interests of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and is conducive to China-U.S. relations and peace in the world.

Ladies and gentlemen,

People are following closely the direction of China's development after the Beijing Olympic Games. I will answer this question when I address the United Nations tomorrow. To put it simply, China remains committed to the path of peaceful development, to reform and opening-up, and to an independent foreign policy of peace.

The Beijing Olympic Games is a success, but China still has a long way to go before achieving modernization. For a country like China which is home to one fifth of the world population, to run our own affairs well and maintain stability and development is the biggest contribution that we make to the world and the biggest international responsibility that we undertake. We will continue to work with other countries to firmly uphold world peace and stability, actively participate in international economic cooperation, facilitate dialogue and exchange among different civilizations and work for the harmonious and sustainable development of the world.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We will soon celebrate the 30th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up policy and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the United States. Over the past 30 years, profound changes have taken place in China and tremendous progress has been made in China-U.S. relations. We should not see this as a sheer coincidence but a historical necessity. President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said that, "The times call for bold belief that the world can be changed by man's endeavor, and that this endeavor can lead to something new and better." Today, we have every reason to expect and believe that the largest developing country and the largest developed country on earth will show enough courage and wisdom to overcome any difficulty and obstacle and, building on past achievements, work together for an even more splendid future.

Thank you!

Source: www.fmprc.gov.cn