By Saadet Gokce
ISTANBUL (AA) - Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held a think tank forum in Beijing on Tuesday, marking the first such meeting in nine years.
The two sides discussed upholding the “1992 Consensus” and the goal of “rejuvenating the Chinese nation” as pillars of cross-strait relations during the Kuomintang-Communist Party forum, according to the Taipei Times.
The “1992 Consensus” refers to a meeting held that year between semi-official representatives from China and Taiwan on cross-strait relations.
The event was co-hosted in Beijing by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Director Song Tao and Kuomintang Deputy Chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen. More than 100 people attended.
The forum, themed “prospects for cross-strait exchanges and cooperation,” focused on three areas: cross-strait tourism, industrial exchanges and environmental sustainability cooperation, according to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Song called on the two parties to oppose “Taiwan independence,” guide cross-strait relations in what he described as the “right direction,” deepen integrated development and promote exchanges and cooperation, during his opening remarks.
“Cross-strait confrontation or conflict does not serve the interests of people in Taiwan or the overall interests of the Chinese nation,” Hsiao said, adding that the past 30 years have shown that exchanges and cooperation “best serve the common interests of people on both sides.”
The forum had been on hiatus for nine years following the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) rise to power in Taiwan. It was previously held between 2006 and 2016.