The Taiwan issue concerns China's core interests, and mutual respect for each other's core interests is conducive to the healthy development of Sino-US relations, a senior Chinese official said in Beijing Thursday.

State Council Taiwan Affairs Office Director Wang Yi made the remarks while meeting with George Schwab, president of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy.

Wang briefed Schwab on the progress in the mainland-Taiwan relations. He said improving the ties is the historical mission of the Chinese people on both sides.

"We will continue to follow the principles of 'building mutual trust, laying aside disputes, seeking consensus and shelving differences, and creating a win-win situation', as proposed by Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and pursue the peaceful development of cross-Straits ties in a step-by-step manner," Wang said.

Schwab said the mainstream US views welcome the improvement and development of cross-Straits relations, and he believes the new US administration would maintain consistency concerning the Taiwan policy.

He pledged the willingness of his committee to play an active role in safeguarding stability in the Taiwan Straits and promoting the US-China relations.

(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2009)