KMT chairman calls for win-win situation 
cctv.com 04-29-2005 11:34
Having arrived in Beijing from Nanjing on Thursday, Kuomintang Party Chairman Lien Chan has just given a speech to students at the prestigious Peking University, where he received a warm welcome. Lien Chan said the differences between the mainland and Taiwan are narrowing. He said the idea of Taiwan independence was a relic of the Cold War, and in this new era, it should be cast aside so that people can work together to build a prosperous nation.
A flurry of applause greeted Lien Chan as he entered the Peking University auditorium, where both former US President Bill Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Pution had also delivered speeches.
To start his speech, Lien looked back over Peking University's history, praising its glorious revolutionary tradition. The university was where the demand for freedom and democracy originated. This spirit was taken to Taiwan in the late 1940s, when many of China's great revolutionaries went to Taiwan University.
Lien went on to say that people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are seeking ways to improve the nation's prosperity to make the Chinese nation more competitive in the global arena. To achieve the objective, he suggested two basic principles.
Lien said, "The basic principles are to inject vitality and life into the nation, and to maintain peace for the next generation. In other words, we need to stick to peace and work for a win-win situation."
The Kuomintang chairman said his believe in these principles is based on two things - the trend of history and the common will of the people.
Lien went on to tell the students that both the Kuomintang and Communist Party of China want to build a prosperous and well-off China. Their common task was interrupted in the 1930s by Japan's invasion. But thanks to wise leadership on the two sides of the Straits, both the mainland and Taiwan have been able to develop gradually in the same direction.
Lien said, "Both sides have developed rapidly, economically and politically. Of course, there is still much romm for further development. But we must emphasize that, over the past decades, the differences and the distance between us has narrowed as the two sides have moved in the same direction. This is the historical trend and an important direction."
Lien Chan condemned the idea of Taiwan independence, criticizing it as a stubborn leftover of the Cold War.
Lien said, "When we consider the relationship between the two sides, why can't our basic aim be the welfare of people, and why can't our work be based on kindness and mutual trust and aim to benefit all Chinese people? The people's welfare: I think this is the main direction and guiding principle that we need to take for the 23 million people in Taiwan, as well as for the 1.3 billion people on the mainland. And all the Chinese people will support this."
Lien emphasized that before he started his trip, polls showed that 66 percent of people in Taiwan support a peaceful dialogue across the Straits. He said that Taiwan will only have a prosperous future if it cooperates with the mainland. And he summarized by saying that this was the historical trend and the best thing for all Chinese people.
Following Lien Chen's speech, a brief gift-exchange ceremony was held. For Lien Chen, the gifts from Peking University was quite unexpected. They were a copy of his mother's student certificate and framed photo when she studied there in the 1930s as well as a red lacquer vase depicting Peking University's lakeside landscape. Lien Chen's gift was an exquisite sculpture of phoenix and peony, a symbol of prosperity and auspice in traditional Chinese culture.
Editor:Chen Source:CCTV.com
