The welfare of Taiwan compatriots is always on the mind of the Chinese government

In recent months, the cross-Strait relations have shown good momentum of development. As an important milestone of the improvement, the Chinese mainland’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) resumed negotiation on the basis of the “1992 consensus” and signed agreements on cross-Strait weekend charted flights and mainland tourists traveling to Taiwan this June.

In the wake of the massive earthquake that struck southwestern Sichuan Province in May, the Taiwan compatriots offered generous contribution and selfless assistance for disaster relief, which gave full expression to the saying that blood is thicker than water.

This August, the historic Beijing Olympics presents a grand occasion of jubilation for the Chinese on the both sides of the Taiwan Strait. People from all circles in Taiwan have actively participated in the preparation of the Games in various ways, making contributions to the great success of the Beijing Olympic Games.

Such improvement of cross-strait relations has not only received the support of the compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, but also won the wide acclaim of the international community. The Chinese government will continue the endeavor to strengthen exchanges between the people on both sides of the Strait, promote cross-Strait economic and cultural cooperation, advance the direct links of mail, trade and transport, and strive for a better prospect of the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.

People on two sides of the Taiwan Strait both belong to the same big family of Chinese nation and share the same blood and destiny. In fact, nobody in the world cares more about the interests of the 23 million Taiwan compatriots than the Chinese government and people. The Chinese government fully understands the feeling of the Taiwan people of participating in international activities and has never opposed the Taiwanese region to conduct exchanges and cooperation with the international community in the fields such as trade, economy and culture, etc. In 2005, the Chinese government and the secretariat of World Health Organization (WHO) signed MOU, providing convenience for the Taiwan experts to participate in the technical meetings and activities of WHO. There is no obstacle for Taiwan to obtain timely information from WHO. On the issue of Taiwan’s participation in other multilateral fora like WTO and APEC, the Chinese government has also shown the utmost flexibility and constructive attitude.

Just like the Chinese premier Wen Jiabao said, one of the major tasks of China’s diplomacy is to protect the interest of all the Chinese people including the Taiwan compatriots. The Chinese government will continue to adopt policies and measures aimed at benefiting Taiwan compatriots and safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests. On the basis of one-China principle, the Chinese government will earnestly study the various concerns of the Taiwan compatriots and seek proper settlement through consultations between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits. We firmly believe that so long as the two sides make joint efforts in the spirit of building mutual trust, putting aside differences, seeking common ground and striving for a win-win result, the Chinese people will surely have the wisdom and capability to solve all the issues properly.

The improvement and peaceful development of cross-strait relations are not only in the interests of the Chinese people across the Strait, but also in the interests of the peace and stability of the region. Whatever will be the development of the cross-Strait relations, the political basis of the one-China principle will never change. The Chinese government will adhere to the one-China principle and oppose any separatist activities for Taiwan independence. We highly appreciate the Philippine government and people for the consistent adherence to the one-China policy and call upon all countries who love peace to join our efforts of promoting stability and prosperity in the region.