James Soong, chairman of the People First Party (PFP), arrived at the Hong Kong international airport from Beijing Friday morning by the China Southern Airlines Flight CZ 3016 after a nine-day mainland visit.

Soong who heads a PFP delegation arrived at the airport at 11:45 (0345 GMT) and will leave for Taipei by the Eva Air Flight BR 868 at about 13:45 (0545 GMT).

They were greeted at the airport by Xing Kuishan, assistant to the Director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and Stephen Lam Sui-lung, secretary for constitutional affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.

Xing Kuishan and Stephen Lam congratulated Soong on his successful mainland visit, and Soong expressed thanks for this.

Soong and the delegation, at the invitation of the CPC Central Committee and its General Secretary Hu Jintao, visited the mainland cities of Xi'an, Nanjing, Shanghai, Changsha and Beijing between May 5 and May 13. On May 12, Hu and Soong held formal talks in Beijing, realizing the first formal dialogue between the top leaders of the two parties, and a communiqué on the talks was issued. All this has attracted widespread attention and been highly appreciated both at home and abroad.

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2005)