Jia Qinglin, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), watched a baseball preliminary match in Beijing on Wednesday together with Taiwan's Kuomintang Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung and People First Party Chairman James Soong.

The preliminary involved two teams from Chinese Taipei and the Netherlands. Despite a working day, the stands of the Wukesong Baseball Field were full.

Jia is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Before the match began, Jia stepped onto the stand with Wu and Soong, and they waved to the spectators. During the match, roaring spectators from both sides of the Taiwan Strait enthusiastically cheered for the Chinese Taipei athletes, who finally beat the Dutch 5-0.

Baseball is one of the most popular sports event in Taiwan. The Chinese Taipei baseball team finished fifth at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

(Xinhua News Agency August 13, 2008)