A spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said Friday that the summit between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Kuomintang (KMT) was a significant step in better relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Yang Yi said the summit between General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Hu Jintao and KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung was an important event for the two parties to achieve extensive consensus.

Yang said both the CPC and the KMT, or the Nationalist Party of China, cherished the good momentum in the relationship across the Taiwan Strait.

The two parties agreed to seize the opportunity to build mutual trust, lay aside disputes, seek consensus and shelve differences, and jointly create a win-win situation, Yang said.

The two parties also promised to push forward "the common aspiration and prospects for cross-Strait peace and development," the spokesman said.

Both agreed to resume exchanges and talks based on the "1992 Consensus" as soon as possible, primarily focusing on cross-Strait chartered flights at weekends and approval for mainland residents traveling to Taiwan, Yang said.

The two parties said they wished to enhance exchanges and dialogue, reach common ground on issues, increase mutual trust and promote cooperation, and take more responsibility for peace and development across the Strait, the spokesman said.

In addition, Yang said, the CPC and KMT encouraged compatriots to strengthen economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation.

(Xinhua News Agency May 30, 2008)