The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Kuomintang (KMT) should firmly maintain peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and live up to the expectations of people, Jia Qinglin, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, said Tuesday.

"The two sides should live up to the expectations of people, safeguard the good trend in cross-Straits relations, grasp and make good use of the rare opportunity, and make persistent efforts, so as to jointly open up a new chapter for the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations," said Jia, while meeting with visiting KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung in Beijing.

Jia Qinglin (R), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, talks with Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (L) in Beijing, May 27, 2008. [Xinhua]

Jia also said that the two parties should intensify communication and strengthen the interaction of grassroots organizations in order to push forward exchanges in all aspects.

Jia, also chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, highlighted the importance of Wu's visit, who is here at the invitation of the CPC Central Committee and General Secretary Hu Jintao.

Wu arrived in Beijing on the second stop of his six-day mainland trip Tuesday afternoon.

He was welcomed Tuesday at Beijing's Capital International Airport by Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee.

In his speech at the airport, Wu said that as new opportunities appear across the Straits, "we should not waste these opportunities but instead make continuous efforts for positive interaction".

He wished the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games a great success.

In a welcoming speech, Chen spoke highly of Wu's mainland visit, saying it showed "the two parties are willing to shoulder the major historic task entrusted by people of the two sides to jointly create a great future for our nationality".

Leading his 16-member delegation, Wu also paid homage to Dr Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province.

Wu laid a floral wreath at Dr Sun's statue in the memorial hall and made bowed for a minute in reverence.

Sun Yat-sen, a founder of Kuomintang, or the Nationalist party of China, died in 1925 in Beijing and his coffin was moved to and buried in Nanjing in 1929.

In his speech at the mausoleum, Wu stressed that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to the Chinese nation, and are "closely tied by blood", which no one could obliterate. He said that both sides across the Taiwan Straits should face history directly, reality squarely and open up to the future.

He said Kuomintang will send a delegation to Nanjing next year to attend memorial activities of the 80th anniversary of Dr Sun Yat-sen's internment at the mausoleum.

Wu is scheduled to meet Hu Jintao, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, today, and fly to Shanghai tomorrow to visit Taiwan businessmen based there.

(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency May 28, 2008)