China, Taiwan should resume talks soonest: Hu

BEIJING (Reuters) – Days before a summit with President
Bush in Washington, Chinese Communist Party chief Hu Jintao
called on Sunday for talks between China and Taiwan as soon as
possible to maintain peace in the region.

China and Taiwan should “resume talks on an equal footing
as soon as possible,” Hu told Lien Chan, former chairman of
Taiwan’s main opposition Nationalist Party, who led a
delegation of 170 business leaders to attend a two-day economic
and trade forum.

Throughout his speech, Hu stressed the importance of peace
between the mainland and the self-ruled island Beijing claims
as its own and has threatened to retake by force if it formally
declares independence.

Fence-mending talks between Beijing and Taipei have been
suspended since 1999 when then-president Lee Teng-hui redefined
bilateral relations as “special state to state.” China
considers Taiwan a province, not an independent state.

Without mentioning Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian by name,
Hu said bilateral ties have not moved forward because the
island’s leaders have refused to embrace the 1992 consensus in
which Beijing and Taipei’s previous Nationalist administration
agreed that both Taiwan and the mainland are part of “one
China.”

“Adhering to the 1992 consensus is the important basis for
realizing peaceful development between the two sides,” Hu said.

Hu’s overtures came on the heels of the abolition by
President Chen in late February of a symbolic body and
guidelines on eventual unification with China.

“We will fulfill our promises to Taiwan compatriots. There
will be no change just because of momentary fluctuations in the
situation or a small group of people interfering in or
sabotaging” ties, Hu said without elaborating.