President Xi Jinping, in his capacity as general secretary of
the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with Eric
Chu, Chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT), the ruling party in Taiwan,
in Beijing on May 4. Given the factious history between the two
parties, every meeting between them naturally attracts attention
domestically and abroad. This was Xi's first meeting with a KMT
Chairman since taking office.
Above all, talks between the CPC and the KMT, namely, between
the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, take as their basis the principle
of one China, a tenet agreed upon by both parties. Additionally,
the recent meeting reaffirmed their resolve to maintain peaceful
development.
At the meeting, Xi posited several new ideas. He suggested
building a community across the Taiwan Straits that shares the same
destiny and that feelings on either side of the Straits be given
consideration. In particular, he stressed providing more
opportunities for people at the community level, small and
medium-sized enterprises, and young people starting businesses or
seeking employment.
China fell back into a civil war after the combined forces of
the KMT and the CPC expelled the Japanese invaders. The end of that
conflict saw KMT forces retreating to Taiwan. Following the
founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, it was to be
several decades before relations between the two parties
thawed.
After taking power in Taiwan in 2000, the Democratic Progressive
Party (DPP) popularized the concept of "Taiwan independence,"
straining cross-Straits relations almost to breaking point. The
ensuing confrontation caused problems for both sides. Against this
backdrop, in 2005, Hu Jintao, then General Secretary of the CPC
Central Committee, met with Lien Chan, then Chairman of the KMT, in
Beijing, the first face-to-face meeting between leaders of the two
parties since 1949. In 2008, the KMT regained power in Taiwan and
expressed eagerness to refresh ties with the mainland.
The recent meeting also sent a clear message to the DPP, now out
of office, as regards the now irrevocable trend of peaceful
development in cross-Straits relations. The attitude held by the
DPP has always presented somewhat a stumbling block in terms of the
development of a constructive relationship between the two sides.
Take the Cross-Straits Service Trade Agreement, a framework of
cooperation expected to benefit the economy and trade across the
Straits signed in 2013, for instance. Owing to opposition from the
DPP, this agreement has yet to be ratified by Taiwan's
legislature.
When the general elections go ahead next year, no matter who
emerges victorious, the basic principle of one China and
cross-Straits peaceful development should be observed, and it is
hoped that external parties will follow suit.
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