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China, Taiwan should resume talks soonest: Hu

Posted on: Saturday, 15 April 2006, 22:50 CDT

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.

Source: REUTERS

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