China Thursday reacted positively to Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou's pledge to mend ties soured by his predecessor, signaling a new era of engagement between the rival sides of the Taiwan Strait, according to dpa. "There are major positive changes in the situation in Taiwan with the joint efforts of compatriots across the Strait," said Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO). "At present, development of cross-strait relations exhibits a sound momentum and faces a precious important opportunity," he said in a statement carried by the official Xinhua news agency. Chen was responding to an inaugural address on Tuesday by the new president, a member of the China-friendly Nationalist Party or Kuomintang, who replaced Chen Shui-bian of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The victory of Ma was welcomed by Beijing, which refused to deal with Chen due to his pro-independence line, a stance the mainland repeatedly warned would lead to a Chinese attack. The two sides split at the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still considers the island an integral part of China that must be brought back to its fold, if necessary by force. In his inaugural address, Ma pledged to engage China and refrain from declaring Taiwan independence, but he also stressed he would not seek unification or military conflict. Ma called for a swift resumption of the talks suspended since 1999 and the peaceful development of relations between the two sides. In response, Chen said Beijing was preparing to resume talks with Taiwan and strengthen exchanges. "The peaceful development of cross- Strait relations has become the common wish and mutual benefits of people both in the mainland and Taiwan," he said. "We hope that people on both sides bear in mind the well-being of compatriots across the Strait and the interests of the Chinese nation as a whole," Chen said. In what was considered a further olive branch from China, the Chinese official said Beijing respected the Taiwan people's "love for their hometowns and their wish to be the masters of their hometowns," remarks suggesting the mainland is not in a hurry to bring Taiwan back to its fold. He said China would continue to implement and improve policies and measures to benefit Taiwanese and safeguard their legitimate rights and interests. "We will make more efforts to advance direct links for mail, trade and transport services between the mainland and Taiwan, and promote cross-Strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation," Chen said. He said after the recent catastrophic earthquake in Sichuan, many Taiwanese expressed their concern and made donations to help the disaster-hit areas. "This will remain as a touching chapter in the history of cross-Strait relations," he said. In Taipei, the new Taiwanese leader welcomed Chen's statement, seeing it as a goodwill gesture.
