Kuomintang (KMT) delegations from various Taiwan cities on
Friday were well received in east mainland's Qingdao City and south
mainland's Shenzhen City.
The visits were part of a program suggested by Hu Jintao,
general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central
Committee, and Lien Chan, former head of KMT, in April to promote
the relations between the two parties. Twelve cities from both
sides of the Taiwan Straits were chosen to start the exchanges.
In Qingdao, a delegation of 34 Kuomintang party members from
Changhua of Taiwan started its six-day visit.
The delegation on Friday was engaged in talks with officials in
Qingdao concerning business, trade, farm produce, education and
religion.
Xu Fuming, head of the delegation and a key member of KMT
Changhua commission, said that Changhua is known for its
agriculture. Leading agricultural officials in the delegation are
interested in selling Taiwan fruits to the mainland and cooperating
with Qingdao to develop farm produce.
The delegation will visit farms, fruit markets, and food
processing companies in Qingdao.
Meanwhile, in Shenzhen, a delegation of 38 KMT members from the
Taiwan city of Tainan was received by secretary of the CPC
Shenzhen?Municipal Committee Li Hongzhong.
There are more than 100,000 Taiwan compatriots working and
living in Shenzhen, which is home to 4,017 Taiwan-funded companies.
The delegation will visit a few companies, wharfs, newspaper
offices, residential communities and tourist facilities during
their five-day visit.
Also on Friday, the Central Committee of the KMT sent a message
to the Central Committee of the CPC and Hu Jintao, expressing
thanks for their congratulatory message on the opening of the KMT's
17th party congress.
The message says, "We received a congratulatory message from you
on the opening day of the KMT's 17th party congress. All delegates
to the congress, the KMT Central Committee and KMT Chairman Ma
Ying-jeou all express our thanks to you."
"The congress has unanimously approved the inclusion of the
"common aspiration and prospects for cross-Straits peace and
development", reached between our two parties on April 29, in the
policy platform of our party to make them the basis and objectives
of the KMT's policies on relations across the Taiwan Straits,"
notes the message.
"In so doing, we hope to go on advancing and bringing about
stability in cross-Straits situation, promote the growth of
cross-Straits relations and jointly work for the future of the
Chinese nation," the message says.
The CPC Central Committee sent a message to the KMT Central
Committee and KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou on Aug. 19 conveying its
congratulations on the convocation of the KMT's 17th party
congress.
On Friday in Xiamen, a scenic city?of Fujian Province, the
first Cross-Straits Symposium on Agricultural and Biological
Technology opened.
About 100 prominent biotechnology and environmental protection
experts from Taiwan Province and the mainland are participating in
the meeting, according to the organization committee.
During the three-day symposium, about 20 experts will give
lectures on their biological and environmental research.
The participants will also discuss topics such as international
research trends in agriculture and biotechnology, the
industrialization of agriculture and agricultural policies.
In addition, an exposition on butterflies and ecological
technology will be held and some agricultural and biological
programs will be put forward by companies on ecological security,
biological agriculture and food security from
Taiwan.???
(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2005)
