Instead of confrontational remarks and actions, goodwill-based dialogue is gaining popularity in settling the thorny Taiwan issue as two major political parties from Taiwan embarked on their landmark mainland trips, says a Xinhua commentary on Thursday.

Two days after a historic trip by Lien Chan, chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) party of China ended, James Soong, chairman of the People First Party (PFP) in Taiwan, arrived in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Thursday afternoon, for his mainland mission to seek "the link of soul" across the Taiwan Straits.
   
The advent of the 40-member PFP delegation signified a step further not only to do away with the current stalemate in cross-Straits relations but to symbolize a breakthrough in the political complexion in the region, which is featured by a growing number of foresighted political parties in Taiwan to seek for talks and communications with the Chinese mainland.
   
After Lien Chan's cynosural handshake with Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) central committee, the visiting PFP leader will also meet and confer with the CPC top leader on the nine-day trip, widely expected to further season the mainland-Taiwan ties and boost common prosperity across the Taiwan Straits.
   
The 63-year-old Soong, a former member of the KMT party and advocate for the one-China principle, will attend a string of root-seeking activities on the first four legs of his mainland trip, pinpointing his personal and PFP's blood-and-flesh connections with the mainland.
  
The PFP consists of many former KMT members, who opposed the secessionist platform adopted by the former KMT leader and diehard advocate of "Taiwan Independence" Lee Ten-hui. As a party founded in Taiwan only five years ago, it has no previous encounters with the CPC.

The party, established and headed by Sames Soong, has consistently upheld the "1992 Consensus", opposes the "Taiwan Independence" and eyes for the improvement in cross-Straits relations, all of which making the party's in-depth dialogue and communications with the mainland side possible.
   
While Taiwan Authorities are still swallowing the message of cross-Straits affinity as being carried back to the island province by Lien Chan, featuring giant pandas, travel go-aheads and extra imports of Taiwan fruits, Soong's mainland mission is very likely to prompt more Taiwan residents to oppose the secessionist activities maneuvered by Taiwan Authorities, and join the chorus of resolving the Taiwan issue through peaceful and rational consultation.
   
Soong's mainland trip not only marks the most significant breakthrough in the CPC-PFP relations but further underscores a new political paradigm, characterized by goodwill-based party-to-party dialogue, to iron out problems at the Taiwan Straits.

People across the Straits wish the PFP delegation's mainland visit a complete success, says the commentary.

(Xinhua News Agency May 6, 2005)