A symposium was held in Beijing on Friday to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Wang-Koo Talks, a historic meeting that marked a major step forward for cross-Strait relations.
style="text-align: left; margin-bottom: 15px;">In April 1993, Wang Daohan, then head of the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), and Koo Chen-fu, then chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), held a meeting in Singapore on the political basis that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait adhere to the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle.
The talks marked the first high-level meeting between authorized non-governmental organizations from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
The 1992 Consensus is the political foundation for the development of cross-Strait relations and the anchor for peace and stability across the Strait, Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at the symposium.
Song said history has repeatedly proved that cross-Strait relations can be improved when the two sides adhere to the 1992 Consensus and support the one-China principle, which will benefit Taiwan compatriots.
But the denial of the 1992 Consensus and deviation from the one-China principle would lead to tension and turbulence in cross-Strait relations, damaging the interests of Taiwan compatriots, Song said.
Noting that peace and development serve the shared interests of compatriots on both sides, Song urged efforts to uphold the 1992 Consensus, oppose "Taiwan independence," and promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and the integrated development across the Strait.
The Wang-Koo Talks established a precedent for institutionalized consultations between the ARATS and the SEF, setting a good example of equal consultations on the basis of the one-China principle, according to ARATS President Zhang Zhijun.
"The experience and lessons drawn from the negotiations and interactions over the past 30 years have made us more aware of the significance of safeguarding the political foundation of the 1992 Consensus," Zhang said.
Other symposium participants, including representatives of those who took part in the Wang-Koo Talks, said the talks boosted the enthusiasm for exchange and cooperation across the Strait.
They said the talks demonstrated the political wisdom of replacing confrontation with dialogue, of resolving differences through communication, and of promoting cooperation through consultation, adding that people from both sides of the Strait should adhere to the 1992 Consensus and promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.
The symposium was hosted by the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, and the ARATS.
