Official Comments on Taiwan Authorities Leader's Speech
 
The mainland side welcomes any practical and sincere proposal and action aimed at improving the relations across the Taiwan Straits, said an official with the Information Bureau of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Friday.

Commenting on a speech made by the leader of the Taiwan authorities on May 9, the official said cross-Straits relations would not improve if he went back on his word.

He stressed that the key to alleviating the tension across the Straits lay in the Taiwan authorities accepting the "one-China" principle.

He reiterated that delegations of the Taiwan Democratic Progress Party (DPP) are welcome to visit the mainland provided that the DPP accept the "one-China" principle and give up its " Taiwan independence" platform.

(China Daily May 11, 2002)