Mainland spokesperson urges DPP to lift restrictions on cross-Strait exchanges

A mainland spokesperson on Wednesday urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities to lift unreasonable restrictions on exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait and stop deliberately creating obstacles.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks when commenting on reports that the DPP authorities will not support a plan recently announced by the Taiwan-based Ma Ying-jeou Foundation to invite 50 mainland college students to visit the island and participate in exchange activities with Taiwan students in mid-July.

"We hope that the DPP authorities will take seriously the wishes and demands of young people across the Strait," Zhu said, adding that the DPP authorities should not "be afraid of the exchanges between young people from the mainland and Taiwan," and neither "disappoint the students."

Zhu stressed that peace, development, exchanges, and cooperation are the common aspiration of people across the Strait.

"We are willing to see and support young people across the Strait to have more exchanges, enhance mutual understanding, deepen their friendship, and make joint efforts to promote peaceful development of cross-Strait relations," she said.

Zhu said that relations across the Taiwan Strait are facing the choices between the paths of peace and war and between the prospects of prosperity and recession.

Taiwan compatriots should think carefully and make the correct choice as of whether to uphold the great national interests and stick to the 1992 Consensus and the path of peaceful development, or to condone the forces and activities that go against the 1992 Consensus and peaceful development, said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference.

The peaceful development of cross-Strait relations is the right path for safeguarding peace, promoting common development and benefiting people on both sides, Zhu said, adding that it perfectly fits the immediate interests and common desire of compatriots across the Strait as well as the trend of the times.

Facts have proven that adhering to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus is key to ensuring the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, according to the spokesperson.

Only by sticking to the 1992 Consensus can cross-Strait relations improve and grow, or else they will become strained and volatile, Zhu said.