A delegation of Kuomintang (KMT), or the Chinese nationalist party, headed by party Chairman Lien Chan started a historic visit to the mainland on Tuesday.
It is the first time that Lien has personally set foot on the mainland soil since he left in 1945, and also the first-ever visit by a KMT chairman to the mainland in 56 years, ushering in a new stage for the relations between the KMT and the Communist Party of China (CPC).
The 68-year-old Lien is a political leader with a peculiar family background. He was a native of Taiwan but was actually born in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, in 1936. His ancestral home was located in Zhangzhou City in the southern coastal province of Fujian.
His grandfather authored the first book on Taiwan's history, and his father was a KMT official dispatched by the central government to work in Taiwan when China restored its exercise of sovereignty over the island, set free from Japan's colonial rule in 1945.
At present, Lien's mother, a native of northeast China's Liaoning Province, is living in Taiwan, but the tomb of his grandmother, who had a Taiwan origin, is located in Xi'an, a city that Lien is scheduled to visit on his eight-day tour.
The historical relations between the KMT and CPC, together with Lien's personal background, have made Lien's historic mainland trip a focus of attention not only for people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, but also for the entire international community.
However, the real significance of Lien's mainland visit lies in the fact that it has reflected the will of the majority of the Taiwan people. The overwhelming majority of the Taiwan people want to see any political adventures in the name of "Taiwan independence" be checked, cross-Straits relations improved and further developed, and common prosperity achieved across the Taiwan Straits.
The people on the mainland, all Chinese living overseas and the international community share the same aspirations.
However, the "Taiwan independence" forces in the island have constantly accused Lien of "betraying and selling Taiwan out" since Lien announced his planned trip to the mainland. Some secessionist groups, maneuvered by former Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui, even attempted to prevent Lien and his delegation from embarking on their journey by staging violent protests at the Taipei Taoyuan Airport on Tuesday morning.
In recent years, secessionists have controlled the political steering wheel in Taiwan and have dominated the expressing channels of public opinion in the island. The Taiwan authorities have been continuously pushing for Taiwan's secession from China, causing great social chaos and dampening economic growth in Taiwan, and heightening tensions and endangering peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.
The secessionists' perverse acts were vehemently challenged and opposed by the Taiwan people, and the Taiwan people's demand for further development of cross-Straits relations has been soaring remarkably.
The KMT, headed by Lien Chan, has taken a series of moves in line with the historical trends and the common will of the Taiwan people to promote the cross-Straits relations.
In January, the party effectively helped launch the first direct, non-stop charter flight scheme across the Taiwan Straits in 56 years during the Chinese lunar new year. A delegation led by party Vice-Chairman Chiang Pin-kung made an "icebreaking trip" to the mainland in March and reached a 12-point preliminary consensus with the mainland on further promoting cross-Straits communications and economic and trade ties.
Following the above-mentioned moves, Lien and his KMT delegation have taken "a new historic step" in seeking reconciliation with the CPC and promoting the further development of cross-Straits relations.
We wish a complete success for the mainland tour of Lien Chan and the KMT delegation.
(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2005)
