Lien Chan urges common prosperity
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-05-02 14:02

Visiting Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party Chairman Lien Chan said in Shanghai on Monday that he admires the rapid economic growth achieved by the mainland, and called for concrete measures from both sides of the Taiwan Straits to seek common prosperity.

Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) Party Chairman Lien Chan holds a press conference in east China's municipality Shanghai on May 2, 2005. [Xinhua]

It calls for efforts from both the Taiwan authorities and the Taiwan business circle to attain this goal, said Lien while addressing business people from Taiwan and the mainland at a luncheon party in Shanghai, the last leg of his eight-day mainland tour.

Lien said the Taiwan business circle had also contributed to the rapid economic expansion in the mainland over the past decade or two, adding that "the two sides across the Straits should undoubtedly rely on, complement and benefit each other."

Visiting Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) Party Chairman Lien Chan (L) shakes hands with Wang Daohan (R), president of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS),during their meeting in east China's municipality Shanghai on May 2, 2005. [Xinhua]

But he said obstacles still existed in cross-Straits economic cooperation, and called on the Taiwan authorities to "act in line with the trend of the times and the common aspiration of the people."

"Cross-Straits economic cooperation is not a slogan, but a course to be taken step by step and in a down-to-earth manner," he said. "Under the current circumstances it's important to establish an economic cooperation mechanism."

He said the KMT and the Communist Party of China (CPC) have agreed to open a forum to promote cross-Straits exchanges in economic, trade and cultural sectors, as part of a platform for regular exchange of ideas between the two parties.

"The establishment of such a platform is of vital importance, as currently there's still no sign of official contacts between the two sides across the Straits," Lien told a press conference in Shanghai earlier on Monday.

Taiwan business people urged to seize opportunities in mainland

Lien Chan said that trade and economic relations across the Taiwan Straits are "at a crucial point", and encouraged Taiwan business people to seize business opportunities in the rapidly-developing mainland.

"Taiwan businesses are faced with a crucial moment for seizing market and business opportunities and striving for future development (in the mainland)," said Lien in a speech at a luncheon party in Shanghai, hosted by Taiwan business community in the mainland for the KMT leader and his 60-member party delegation.

Almost all major countries in the world today have targeted the mainland market and are seeking to enhance their international competitiveness and expand market by coming here, said Lien.

Under such circumstances, "if Taiwan remains in a closed mentality, we are quite likely to suffer much negative impact," he added.

CPC, KMT to build platform for exchanges

The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party have agreed to build a platform to promote peaceful development and cross-Straits exchanges in economic, trade and cultural sectors, said visiting KMT leader Lien Chan on Monday.

"The establishment of such a platform, which focuses on the two most important issues, peace and economic and trade exchanges, is of vital importance, as currently there's still no sign of official contacts between the two sides across the Straits," Lien told a press conference in Shanghai.

He said the proposed platform would include two forums, one on peaceful development and the other on economic, trade and cultural exchanges.

The two forums are intended to help facilitate exchange of ideas across the Straits and reflect the consensus reached between the CPC and KMT, he said.

Lien said that participants of the two forums are not to be limited to officials of the two parties only. "Other relevant people can be invited to the forums as well," he said at the press conference, held before a planned meeting with Wang Daohan, president of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS).

A press communique signed between leaders of the CPC and KMT in Beijing on Friday says the two parties have agreed to build a platform for regular party-to-party communications between their officials at different levels.

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