The visiting chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT), Lien Chan, headed a 60-member delegation to the Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) at around 8:50 AM in Nanjing today.

Lien said it is an aspiration of both sides of the Taiwan Straits to "continuously boost the Taiwan economy" and "further develop the mainland into a well-off society".

In a speech delivered after paying respects at the Mausoleum, Lien called the aspiration a goal that both sides of the Taiwan Straits should "strive to achieve in a peaceful and going-all-out mentality" against the backdrop of the current "stalemate" in cross-Straits relations.

Calling Chinese to jointly strive for common prosperity, Lien said that "Chinese should hold their heads high in the 21st century."

At a press conference, KMT spokespeople expressed hope that the visit would be a step forward for cross-Straits relations and would encourage more peaceful messages.

They also said the upcoming visit by James C.Y. Soong, chairman of the People First Party, would also be positive in promoting exchange and mutual understanding across the Straits.

Now capital of the eastern province of Jiangsu, Nanjing was the national capital during the rule of the KMT in the 1920s to 1940s.

On Wednesday afternoon, the delegation is scheduled to visit the former presidential office from the time of the KMT's rule and the Confucius Temple, built in 1034. 

Sun was the founder of the KMT.

(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2005)