Jiang made the remarks during a New Year Tea Party hosted by the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Tuesday morning. All seven members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) attended the party.

Jiang, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed that to realize a complete reunification of the motherland through resolving the Taiwan issue is to the utmost interest of the Chinese nation.

Since the new century, cross-strait economic cooperation has been enhanced while exchange of visits increased. The policy of "Peaceful Reunification and One country, Two systems" has gained more and more welcome and admiration by the people in Taiwan, he noted.

The WTO membership of both the mainland and Taiwan provided new opportunities for the development of economic and trade relations across the Taiwan Straits, he said.

"We will, on the basis of the one-China principle, continue to work toward an improvement of cross-strait relations, and enhance the liaison and exchange of visits between people of the mainland and Taiwan," he said,

The president said although international situation has undergone most dramatic change following the end of the cold war, peace and development are still the theme of the time. Maintaining peace and endeavoring for development remain the common aspiration of all nations.

Judging from the overall situation, he said, the world peace can still be maintained. The overall situation for the coming period of time will be featured by overall peace albeit regional war, overall easing of tensions albeit increasing of regional tension, and overall stability albeit regional turbulence.

(China Daily January 2, 2002)