Days before a summit with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington, Chinese President Hu Jintao called on Sunday for talks between Beijing and Taiwan as soon as possible to maintain peace in the region.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (2nd-R), Lien Chan (2nd- L), former chairman of Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang, and other delegates from the Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Forum applaud after a group photo in China's capital Beijing April 16, 2006. Hu called on Sunday for talks between Beijing and Taiwan as soon as possible to maintain peace in the region. [Reuters]

Beijing and Taiwan should "resume talks on an equal footing as soon as possible", Hu told Lien Chan, former chairman of Taiwan's main opposition Nationalist Party, who led a delegation of 170 business leaders to attend a two-day economic and trade forum.

Throughout his speech, Hu stressed the importance of peace between the mainland and the island. Fence-mending talks between Beijing and Taipei have been suspended since 1999 when 'then-president' Lee Teng-hui redefined bilateral relations as "special state to state". 

Without mentioning Taiwan 'President' Chen Shui-bian by name, Hu said bilateral ties have not moved forward because the island's leaders have refused to embrace the 1992 consensus in which Beijing and Taipei's previous Nationalist administration agreed that both Taiwan and the mainland are part of "one China".

"Adhering to the 1992 consensus is the important basis for realising peaceful development between the two sides," Hu said.

Hu's overtures came on the heels of the abolition by Chen in late February of a symbolic body and guidelines on eventual unification with the mainland. 

"We will fulfil our promises to Taiwan compatriots. There will be no change just because of momentary fluctuations in the situation or a small group of people interfering in or sabotaging" ties, Hu said without elaborating.