Thousands of people paid their last respects to Wang Daohan, Chinese mainland's chief negotiator with Taiwan, Friday in Longhua Funeral Home in Shanghai.

The remains of Wang, who passed away on December 24 in Shanghai at age 90, were cremated on Friday morning in the funeral home.

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Chinese Vice-President Zeng Qinghong attended the funeral, joined by other senior mainland officials, people from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and overseas as well as ordinary mainland citizens, who formed a long queue outside the funeral home.

Zeng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, also conveyed condolences offered by Hu Jintao and other members of the Standing Committee to Wang's family.

The wife, son and a daughter of Wang's Taiwan counterpart Koo Chen-fu, who died in January, also went to the funeral. Wang and Koo had formed a close friendship.

Other personages from Taiwan at the funeral included a representative of former Chairman of Kuomintang (KMT) Lien Chan, KMT vice-chairman Wu Poh-hsiung, Secretary-General of the People First Party Chin Chin-sheng, Chairman of the New Party Yok Mu-ming, representatives of the Hsin Tungmung Hui, Alliance for the Reunification of China and Strait Peaceful Re-Unification Association, Wang's friends of various circles and representatives of Taiwan businesses on the mainland.

Zeng Qinghong met the personages from Taiwan and representatives of Taiwan businesses on the mainland before the funeral and expressed thanks to them.

Wang, president of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) since December 1991, held the landmark talks with Koo Chen-fu, chairman of the Taiwan-based Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF) in Singapore in April 1993, which was the first ever high-level, non-governmental talks across the Straits.

The two men met for the second time in Shanghai in October 1998, which opened political dialogue between the two sides.

A senior consultant to the Taiwan-based Eastern Multimedia Group said he had come to "make a bow" to Wang, with whom he talked twice.

"He was a man that cared a great deal about the country and the people, a man of vision, a scholar and a man that felt for the Taiwan people. Such a politician is worthy of the sincerest bow from me," he said.

Wang, born in Jiashan of east China's Anhui province, once served as secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, and vice-mayor and mayor of Shanghai. The first to propose development of Shanghai's Pudong area, applying to host the World Expo and building Shanghai into a transport center, he is widely believed to have contributed a great deal to boosting the prosperity of Shanghai.

During his illness and after his death, Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin,Wu Banguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Zeng Qinghong, Huang Ju, Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun and Luo Gan visited him in hospital or conveyed condolences over his death.

"Mr. Wang has left us forever, but he has left behind a rich legacy and unforgettable demeanor," wrote Xu Shiquan, vice-president of the mainland-based National Taiwan Studies Society, in an article published on the mainland-based People's Daily Friday.

"The energy and wisdom he devoted to the development of cross-Straits relations will surely continue to work in the historical process of the reunification of China," he wrote.

Huang Renwei, a professor with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, also paid a high tribute to Wang in an article published on Guangming Daily Friday.

According to Huang, Wang Daohan realized the importance of building common ground and a common sense of national identity as early as in 1994 in view that reunification of the two sides will be a long-term, zigzagged and gradual process.

Wang emphasized giving high priority to developing cross-Straits economic and trade relations and boosting two-way visits of people, according to Huang.

"After Lee Teng-hui began his 'two states' advocacy in 1999 and the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party came to power in 2000, the cross-Strait situation got very bad," Huang wrote.

Even under such a situation, Wang still exhibited unusual soberness and perseverance, according to Huang.

"He repeatedly emphasized the following points: the policy of winning the support of Taiwan people should not change, the momentum of economic and trade relations across the Straits should not change and the fundamental principle of adhering to peaceful reunification should not change," wrote Huang.

"We now can see how farsighted he was," wrote Huang, adding many of Wang's strategic thoughts and innovative viewpoints can really stand the test of both time and practice.

According to Huang, Wang Daohan used to work on his research reports through midnight despite his serious illness.

After Wang's death, many people, political parties and organizations in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and overseas have sent condolences or wreaths, all speaking highly of his contribution to the development of relations across the Taiwan Straits.

Chiao Jen-ho, a former secretary-general of the SEF, said talks between Wang and Koo helped to increase mutual understanding across the Taiwan Straits. They have left a lot of valuable experiences for later generations in continuing to promote the cross-Straits relations.

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(Xinhua News Agency December 31, 2005)