Wu Poh-hsiung, Chairman of Taiwan's Kuomintang, visited the Chinese mainland on May 26-31, at the invitation of Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. During their meeting on May 28, the two leaders reached consensus on strengthening exchanges and promoting mutual trust across the Taiwan Straits. Li Jiaquan and Sun Shengliang, researchers at the Institute of Taiwan Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, published articles on the meeting between Hu and Wu, projecting an optimistic future for cross-straits relations.

Future Looks Bright

By LI JIAOQUAN

The meeting between Hu Jintao and Wu Poh-hsiung marked the highest-level contact between ruling parties across the Taiwan Straits after 1949, which is of special significance.

Wu's visit and the "summit" between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Kuomintang took place after the second change of the ruling party in Taiwan since 2000, following which the Kuomintang regained power on the island. During the past eight years when the pro-"independence" Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was in power, its secessionist policies not only exacerbated ethnic division in Taiwan but also strained cross-straits relations.

Today, the Kuomintang is faced with the arduous task of "correcting" the situation in Taiwan. Also, the both sides across the Taiwan Straits are expected to resume normal contact and regular exchanges in the near future. Wu paid his visit to the mainland after cross-straits relations had gone through a period of twists and turns and thus he was warmly welcomed by people on the mainland.

The recent visit of Wu happened after the 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck southwest China's Sichuan Province. The natural disaster is destructive, but there exists a spirit of brotherhood among people across the Taiwan Straits. Taiwan media said, "Taiwanese generously show their love and care to people in the quake zone and people on the mainland also feel the sincere goodwill from across the straits." The hearts of Chinese across the straits are always united. Whenever a big catastrophe befalls the Chinese, compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits show compassion and love to each other. The sincerity is really moving.

I said not long ago in an articles that the massive earthquake is a natural disaster, but if any people conduct secessionist activities and seek for "Taiwan independence" and then trigger a war, that is a manmade disaster, which should be avoided and is also avoidable. A comment in Taiwan's United Daily News also pointed out, "We can't guarantee there won't be more natural disasters on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, but through our mutual efforts, we can ensure there is no war." We actually express the same opinion. Taiwan people have abandoned the pro-"independence" and corrupt DPP authority through voting, replacing it with the Kuomintang and Ma Ying-jeou. The possibility for the mainland and Taiwan developing peaceful and stable relations and creating a win-win condition is greatly increasing.

During the May 28 "summit" between the two party chiefs, both sides highly appreciated the positive changes in cross-straits relations as well as the moving brotherhood displayed in the relief effort in the massive earthquake in Sichuan. At the same time, they expressed full confidence in bilateral cooperation and peaceful development of bilateral ties in the future.

Wu's visit to the mainland and the exchanges between the CPC and the Kuomintang will surely bear some positive fruits, such as the quick resumption of the dialogue between the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan's Strait Exchange Foundation, the quick realization of direct flights across the straits, as well as to relax restrictions on Taiwan businesses' investment in the mainland and to allow mainland investment and tourists into Taiwan. People across the straits rejoice in this warm atmosphere.