Top political advisor meets new SEF chairman

Top political advisor Jia Qinglin on Wednesday met with Lin Join-sane, Taiwan's new top negotiator for cross-strait affairs, expressing hope that the island will adopt more positive policies regarding the Chinese mainland.

Leading a 13-member delegation, Lin, chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for his first visit to the mainland.

Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said Lin's visit indicates a positive attitude about promoting cross-strait relations, as well as a willingness to strengthen exchanges between the SEF and its mainland counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS).

Lin was elected as the foundation's new head on Sept. 27 following the resignation of its former chairman Chiang Pin-kung.

Praising the two organizations' irreplaceable roles in promoting cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, Jia called upon them to exert more efforts to accelerate the progress of cross-strait negotiations and make more efforts to create benefits for people from both sides.

While stressing the political basis of opposing "Taiwan independence" and sticking to the 1992 Consensus, Jia urged the two sides to build up mutual trust, seek common ground and manage their differences in order to gradually eliminate obstacles and broaden the path for the development of cross-strait relations.

During their meeting, Lin called for further progress in cross-Strait relations on the basis of maintaining and consolidating the 1992 Consensus.

Lin vowed to strengthen exchanges, accumulate mutual trust and push forward negotiations with ARATS in order to boost cross-strait relations and serve people from both sides.

The SEF, founded in 1990 and the mainland-based ARATS, founded in 1991, are non-governmental organizations authorized by Taiwan and the mainland to engage in talks regarding cross-strait issues.