Taiwan's New Party will send a delegation to visit the Chinese mainland from July 10 to 13. This is in response to the goodwill invitation by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Communist Party of China on the mainland. The trip may result in the establishment of more consultations between the two parties.
In an interview in Taiwan on Friday, New Party convener Xie Qida showed the invitation letter to a CCTV reporter. In the letter, the mainland expresses its appreciation of the New Party's objective to stick to the "one China" principle and seek reunification. According to the invitation, the purpose of the trip is to hold consultations on key issues in cross-Strait relations and to expand cooperation.
Xie Qida said the New Party delegation will be lead by Xu Linong, who is in charge of the party's mainland affairs.
Xie Qida said: "This first trip is to establish a channel for a consultation mechanism. A second or third trip may follow. After being bogged down for a long time, cross-Strait relations need new breakthroughs. We hope our trip is a breakthrough."
The convener said that former Taiwan leader Li Teng-hui and present Taiwan leader Chen Shuibian had been both engaged in misleading the public and weakening Taiwan's identity with the mainland under the pretext of localization. She said the establishement of a consultation mechanism with the Communist Party is aimed at clarifying the confused situation and reaching a "one China" consensus.
(CCTV.com 07/08/2001)
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