A view of the Taiwan Straits is seen from Xiamen port, in East China's Fujian Province. Photo: IC

Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, met with Andrew Hsia, vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, and his delegation on Thursday. 

Song said that the mainland is willing to enhance exchanges and build up mutual trust with the KMT and work with the KMT to promote relations between the two parties and two sides of the Taiwan Straits, based on the common political foundation of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence," the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Guided by the conviction that the people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are of one family, the mainland will continue to respect, care for and deliver benefits to Taiwan compatriots and advance cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation in all fields, Song said.

Hsia expressed his hope that, on the basis of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence," the two parties would maintain communication, cooperate with sincerity, deepen mutual trust and expand common ground while properly managing differences, so as to enhance the well-being of people on both sides, safeguard peace and stability in the region and promote peaceful development of the cross-Straits relations. 

The delegation is in Beijing for a 10-day visit from February 8 to 17. 

Hsia also held talks with Taiwan businesspeople. According to Taiwan media outlets, a Taiwan businessman based in Tianjin said that in the past three years under the shadow of the epidemic, Taiwan businessmen have continued to increase investment in the mainland. However, the "New Southbound Policy" promoted by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has completely failed, which shows that the mainland is still regarded as a better place for Taiwan businessmen to invest.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a press briefing on Monday that the mainland is willing to strengthen exchanges with the KMT, consolidate and enhance mutual trust, and deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields on the common political foundation of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence."

Joint efforts should be made to advance relations between the Communist Party of China and the KMT and relations across the Taiwan Straits, safeguard peace and stability across the Straits, and improve the interests and well-being of compatriots on both sides of the Straits, Zhu noted. 

Analysts said that by visiting the mainland, the KMT hopes to send a message to Taiwan society that the DPP can't ease cross-Straits tensions, but the KMT can. They believed that the resumption and expansion of cross-Straits exchanges seems to be the inevitable trend in the post-COVID-19 era, even in the face of the DPP authorities' obstruction.

Global Times