A spokesman for the Kuomintang (KMT) Party of China said in Shanghai Sunday the development of cross-Straits relations is a trend of the times.

The meeting between top leaders of the Communist Party of China(CPC) and the KMT is of both far-reaching historic and realistic significance, said spokesman Chang Jung-kung at a press conference.

He explained that the realistic significance lies in pushing forward cross-Straits relations. The "common aspiration" written in the press communique issued by the two parties marks another height of major cross-Straits exchange following the "1992 Consensus."

The fruit of KMT Chairman Lien Chan's visit to the mainland would be acknowledged by the Taiwan people and supported by the international community, he said.

Lien is leading a KMT delegation on an eight-day visit to the mainland, which began on Tuesday and culminated in talks on Friday with Hu Jintao, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

Taiwan's leader Chen Shui-bian on Sunday said Lien's trip did not go beyond the boundary of an opposition party. Commenting on this, Chang said the KMT is happy to see Chen make fairly positive comments and hopes the authority could keep the same voice within itself.

What the opposition party could do is to promote the development of cross-Straits relations, and it is not important whether the KMT delegation will exchange views with the authority when it returns to Taiwan, he said.

"The key issue is whether the authority is willing and sincere to jointly promote the cross-Straits relations in the direction of the press communique," Chang said.

The press communique calls for, in the first place, promoting the resumption of cross-Straits consultations on an equal footing, and the KMT is playing the role of building a bridge and paving the way, he said.

Chang said he believed Chairman James Soong of the People First Party also hopes to play such a role, or have the same intention to advance the relaxation of cross-Straits relations.

The KMT hopes Chen Shui-bian could accept the suggestions it has continued to offer him over the last few years -- to resume cross-Straits consultations on an equal footing with the "1992 Consensus" as the basis.

When answering a question on the establishment of a platform for regular exchanges between the CPC and KMT, Chang said this is the opinion of both Lien and Hu, and immediately after the delegation is back in Taipei, the KMT would begin a study to find "a proper way" to invite people from all walks of life to join in the exchanges, via the links between the KMT and CPC.

Asked to comment on the impact of Lien's visit on Taiwan business people's investment in the Yangtze River Delta, Chang said that this region has become a key investment target for Taiwan businessmen.

In the 10-item agreement reached between the mainland and KMT Vice-Chairman Chiang Pin-kung a month ago, said Chang, the mainland for the first time expresses the wish to sign an agreement on investment guarantee for Taiwan businessmen, which has been strongly proposed by Taiwan over the past decade.

If both sides could work to this direction, Taiwan businessmen's investment in the Yangtze River Delta would increase faster and trade and economic cooperation across the Taiwan Straits would produce mutually beneficial results, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 2, 2005)