Taipei, Feb. 21 (CNA) Republic of China President Chen Shui-bian said Thursday that the government is offering to reconvene the presidential advisory group that met previously and which was intended to bridge political parties to make recommendations on cross-Taiwan Strait issues.
Chen said at a seminar of heads of Taiwanese business associations in mainland China that he hopes the parties will agree to participate in the President's Advisory Group on Cross-Taiwan Strait Relations, an ad hoc team that in the first few months of his presidency managed to form a basic consensus that served as reference for his cross-strait policy.
During those earlier meetings, neither of the two major opposition parties agreed to attend the advisory committee or take part in any of its activities.
Headed by Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh, the group announced its "three acknowledgments and four recommendations" after its seventh meeting on Nov. 26, 2000, including a suggestion that Chen should promote cross-strait relations, resolve bilateral disputes and respond to Beijing's "one China" stance in line with the ROC Constitution.
If the ruling and opposition parties are willing, the president said that he hopes the advisory group will reconvene to formulate further recommendations on cross-strait issues that are consensuses of the various political parties and can be agreed upon by all the people of Taiwan.
Chen said that the Economic Development Advisory Conference held in August last year urged the government to consolidate the consensuses of the ruling and opposition parties as soon as possible, to resolve the differences surrounding the issue of the "1992 consensus," to define cross-strait relations in accordance with the ROC Constitution, to set aside political contentions and to negotiate quickly with mainland China on the "three links" issue as well as other issues that concern the welfare of the people.
The president said that his government has continuously offered gestures of good will and sincerity to the other side of the Taiwan Strait and replaced the previous administration's "no haste, be patient" policy on investments in mainland China with one of "active opening, effective management."
All of this was done with the hopes of maintaining harmony and bilateral exchanges, and in the pursuit of normalized development in cross-strait relations, he added.
Chen said that Taipei and Beijing should engage in proactive dialogue and cooperation instead of passive resistance and confrontation.
Taiwan welcomes any actions or remarks from mainland China that are conducive to maintaining cross-strait stability, he said, adding that as along as the two sides have good will and sincerity, and carry out exchanges and dialogue pragmatically, there will surely be improvements in bilateral relations that will lead to reconciliation and everlasting peace.