Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (L, Front) is welcomed upon his arrival at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing on May 25, 2009. A KMT delegation headed by Wu arrived in Beijing on Monday for an visit on the mainland.

Wang expected new promises on exchanges and cooperation between compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and future development of cross-Straits relations would be made in the meeting between Hu and Wu. He also expected to see new measures to jointly cope with the global financial crisis.

Chang Wu-ueh, director of Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of China Studies, was also positive about this visit.

"After the Straits Forum, the mainland and Taiwan saw multi-level cross-Straits exchanges, and the two parties have made irreplaceable contributions," Chang told Xinhua Monday.

Chang said the KMT and CPC should continue to promote inter-party exchanges and "constantly" build up political trust, to make continuous contributions to the peaceful development of cross-Straits relationship.

The week-long Straits Forum was held in the southeastern coastal city of Xiamen on May 16. The forum, co-hosted by four cities in Fujian Province, which faces Taiwan across the sea, was the largest-yet unofficial cross-Straits forum.

(Xinhua News Agency May 25, 2009)