Peaceful cross-strait ties remain top priority

TAIPEI - Chen Deming, president of the Chinese mainland-based Association for Relations across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), said on Wednesday that the mainland's policy of promoting peaceful development of cross-strait ties has not changed.

Chen made the remarks in Taipei while meeting with Taiwan media during his eight-day visit to the island starting Tuesday.

It is never easy for the mainland and Taiwan to be on the right track of developing peaceful relations, he said, urging the two sides to cherish the current situation and increase mutual understanding to overcome difficulties.

During Chen's meeting with his counterpart Lin Join-sane, chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) on Tuesday evening, the visiting negotiator vowed to speed up the ongoing negotiations, notably the goods trade pact and establishing offices for the agencies on both sides of the strait.

Chen also promised to push for an agreement under which Chinese mainland tourists will be allowed to fly to other overseas destinations via Taiwan.

As part of annual exchanges between ARATS and SEF, Chen's trip includes visiting Taiwan's volunteer groups and its agriculture, bio-technology, green tourism, and senior citizen welfare sectors.

The trip also aims to explore expanding the scope of cooperation between industries of the two sides, upgrade the level of such cooperation, and promote exchanges and communication between volunteers of the two sides.