Leaders emphasize importance of One China Principle at 'historic meeting'

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee Xi Jinping and Kuomintang Chairman Eric Chu shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. SHENG JIAPENG/CNS

Both sides of the Taiwan Straits should build a community of shared destiny and settle political differences through consultation as equals, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee, said on Monday.

Xi made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Kuomintang Chairman Eric Chu at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Chu, 53, is the first KMT chairman to set foot on the mainland at a time when the KMT is Taiwan's ruling party since 1949.

Both leaders stressed the importance of the 1992 Consensus, the agreement that there is only one China.

Xi said the consensus is the foundation for exchanges with Taiwan's authorities and political parties. The mainland is willing to take the lead in sharing development opportunities with its compatriots on the island, he added.

"Both the CPC and the KMT should fight against any comments that would undermine the current hard-won cross-Straits political basis," he said.

Chu also highlighted the importance of the 1992 Consensus, saying that it changed the status of cross-Straits relations from resistance and opposition to cooperation and communication.

"Since 2005, the KMT has put the 1992 Consensus into the party's goals. The two sides are a community of shared destiny. Peaceful cross-Straits development has made much progress, and I hope on the basis of the 1992 Consensus to promote cross-Straits cooperation," Chu said.

Ni Yongjie, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Taiwan Studies, said: "It's a historic meeting. ... Both sides stressed and reached an agreement that the 1992 Consensus is the political basis for cross-Straits relations at a time when the parties are both ruling parties."

He said the relationship between the CPC and the KMT plays a vital role in cross-Straits relations. The improved relations will be a catalyst to increase mutual political trust and promote peaceful cross-Straits development.