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Taiwan's Ma takes office as KMT chairman

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-17 10:43

TAIPEI: Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou officially assumed the position of the island's ruling party chairman here at Kuomintang's 18th plenary congress Saturday morning.

Ma Ying-jeou was sworn in after he took the party chairman's seal handed over by outgoing Wu Poh-hsiung who served the position for more than two years.

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Ma announced appointments of KMT honorary chairmen to Lien Chan and Wu Poh-hsiung who will assist him respectively to promote Taiwan's external affairs and cross-Strait relations.

In his inaugural address at the ceremony, Ma pledged to promote KMT's intraparty democracy and reform of the party's election as well as increase dialogues with the island's opposition parties.

Ma said that the five-piont "common vision" achieved by Communist Party of China Central Committee General Secretary Hu Jintao and then KMT Chairman Lien Chan has brought possitive effects to cross-Strait relations.

Ma proposed KMT's 18th congress continue to enshrine the "common vision" into the party's political program, adding that the cross-Strait economic, trade and culture forum, which is co-sponsored by KMT and CPC, will continue to be held.

Ma was elected Kuomintang's new chairman on July 26.