Mainland official meets with Taiwan delegation

BEIJING -- Zhang Zhijun, the Chinese mainland's Taiwan affairs chief, on Sunday met in Beijing with a delegation of county and city officials from Taiwan.

The delegation includes officials for New Taipei City and the seven counties of Hsinchu, Miaoli, Nantou, Hualien, Taitung, Kinmen and Lienchiang.

Zhang, head of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, extended a warm welcome to the eight visiting county and city officials and applauded their adherence to the 1992 Consensus and efforts to promote cross-Strait cooperation and exchange at the county and city-levels.

Taiwan's current leader, Tsai Ing-wen, and her administration have refused to recognize the 1992 Consensus since she and the Democratic Progressive Party took office in May, Zhang said. The 1992 Consensus affirms that both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to one China.

The refusal has shaken the political foundation for the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and dealt a heavy blow to the good momentum of peaceful cross-Straits ties that had been achieved through eight years of efforts, Zhang said, adding communication across the Straits has been affected and the interests of people on the two sides have been severely damaged.

Zhang stressed adherence to the 1992 Consensus under the new situation, vowed to firmly oppose and curb "Taiwan independence" and promote cross-Straits exchange in various fields to boost economic and social integration.

The eight officials from Taiwan voiced their concerns about cross-Straits relations and pledged to continue to stick to the 1992 Consensus and maintain peaceful development of cross-Straits ties along with the mainland.

Mainland officials with the Ministry of Commerce, National Tourism Administration, General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, and the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives also attended the meeting.