Island returns to Expo after 40-year absence

SHANGHAI - President Hu Jintao met with major Taiwan guests attending Expo 2010 Shanghai on Thursday as the two sides move forward to closer cross-Straits ties.

More than 100 Taiwan dignitaries had been invited by the organizing committee to attend the opening ceremony, including Kuomintang (KMT) honorary Chairmen Lien Chan and Wu Poh-hsiung, as well as the People's First Party Chairman James Soong.

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Hu said Taiwan's return to the Expo after an absence of 40 years is a key achievement in the improvement and development of the cross-Straits relationship.

He expressed appreciation to the Taiwan compatriots who have made donations equivalent to $10 million to the victims of the recent Yushu earthquake in Qinghai province.

Hu said the Expo is a great event for all the Chinese people and will become an important platform across the Straits to enhance understanding and exchanges.

Coincidentally, KMT Honorary Chairman Lien Chan met with Hu for the first time in a historical Beijing visit on the same day five years ago, which was the first official summit between the Communist Party of China and the KMT in the past six decades.

The two parties at the time publicized common aspirations for the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, which laid the political foundation for cooperation.

Lien said the two sides since then have developed cooperative relationships in various fields that have led to today's breakthroughs and achievements.

Lien also conveyed Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou's positive view towards Hu's good intentions to develop cross-Straits ties.

As for the signing of an Economic Cooperative Framework Agreement (ECFA) between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, Lien said the deal would be inked mid-year.

Responding to the current controversy in Taiwan over the ECFA, Wang Yi, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, later said at a banquet that the agreement is believed to be conducive to promoting common economic development and the substantive wellbeing of the residents of Taiwan.

"It will stand up to the tests of time, practice and history," he said.

Qian Yanfeng contributed to this story

China Daily

(China Daily 04/30/2010 page6)