CHINA / Opinion
Hu-Lien meeting hailed worldwide
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-04-30 14:51
The meeting between the leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and
the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party on Friday was hailed across the world
as the European Union (EU) and the United States expressed welcome while
Singaporean Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew described it as "historic."
Commenting on the meeting between Hu Jintao, general secretary of the CPC
Central Committee, and Lien Chan, chairman of KMT (the Nationalist Party
of China ), a spokesperson for the European Commission (EC), said the EC,
as EU's executive arm, welcomes thefirst meeting between the top leaders
of the two parties in 56 years.
"We are keen for that to be a solution to the tension" across the Taiwan
Strait through dialogue, Emma Udwin, the EC spokesperson, told a daily
press conference in Brussels on Friday.
"We welcome the first step. We hope this is far from a full story, we
hope this would prove to be a first step to a positive direction," she
said.
In Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew called the Hu-Lien meeting a historicone as
both sides recognize the "one China" consensus.
Lee said he sees peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait over the
next three and a half years.
In Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, "We welcome
dialogue" between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait as "we believe
cross-strait dialogue is important to promoting peace and stability in
the region. "
"We'll continue working with the parties in the region and continue to
encourage them to engage in dialogue to promote peace and stability in
the region," McClellan said.
In a news dispatch from Beijing, Portugal's Lusa news agency termed the
Hu-Lien handshake, the first between the top leaders ofthe two parties
since 1945, as "historic."
The handshake symbolizes an end to hostility between the two parties and
opens a new chapter in the cross-strait relations, it said.
Associations of overseas Chinese in South Africa also expressedtheir
support for the effort made by the two parties to maintain peace and
promote development through enhanced cooperation across the strait.
Lien Chan, leading a KMT delegation, kicked off a week-long visit to
China's mainland on Tuesday, the first by a top KMT leader since 1949.
James Soong, chairman of Taiwan's People First Party, is scheduled to
follow Lien's suit on May 5-12.
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