The mayor of Taiwan's Taichung city, Jason C. Hu, has called for the active promotion and implementation of interaction across the Taiwan Straits in an interview with Xinhua Thursday.

"I've always hoped that cross-Straits interaction can be actively promoted and implemented, but the Democratic Progressive Party authority is unable to face the mainland positively," he said. "This will impair the competitiveness of Taiwan, which makes people worried."

"Why can't the two sides cooperate and make money from foreigners," Hu quoted Lien Chan, Honorary Chairman of the Kuomingtang Party, as saying.

If the two sides could not cooperate, the effect on Taiwan was much worse than on the Chinese mainland, Hu said.

"Why should we step into an unfavorable situation which is unfavorable to both sides? There are no indication that cross-Straits relations will improve in 2007 and I hope ties improve substantially and a mutually beneficial situation will be realized in 2008," he said.

Hu also referred to the cooperation between Taichung and Xiamen, a coastal city in southeast China's Fujian province. "Taichung and Xiamen have frequent exchanges in trade, culture and education as the two cities are geographically close and mutually complementary in many areas," Hu said, adding Taichung also had ties with Jilin, his birthplace.

(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2006)