Visiting Chairman of the People First Party (PFP) James CY Soong said in Shanghai Sunday that his party firmly opposes "Taiwan Independence," because it would only lead to warfare and disaster across the Taiwan Straits.

"'Taiwan Independence' has never been our option," Soong said at a meeting with a group of Taiwan business people representing the Taiwan business community on the mainland.

He reiterated that since its founding in 2000, the PFP has kept to the "1992 consensus" that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China.

The consensus "serves the interests of people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and allows both sides to resolve the issue (between them) calmly," he said.

Soong praised the successful visit to the mainland by Chairman Lien Chan of the Kuomintang (KMT) Party of China, saying that "the PFP and KMT share the common aspiration and major principles on the cross-Straits issue but proceed from different angles."

"The PFP and KMT will work together to strive for promoting peace across the Straits," he said.

According to Soong, Taiwan businessmen invested more than 500 billion US dollars in the mainland between 1979 and 2004. Taiwan also enjoys a tremendous surplus from the trade with the mainland.

"All this shows that trade and economic exchanges across the Taiwan Straits have made contributions to economic growth on both sides," Soong told participants at the meeting.

Statistics from the mainland side show indirect trade volume between the mainland and Taiwan has exceeded 400 billion dollars since the late 1970s, with Taiwan having an accumulated surplus of 270 billions dollars. In 2004 alone, the trade volume across the Straits topped 78 billion dollars.

"But for the 27.7-billion-dollar surplus, Taiwan would have seen its trade deficit soaring from 6.1 billion dollars to 21.6 billion US dollars last year," Soong said.

Taiwan businessmen operating on the mainland not only made money but also made "indelible contributions" to the upgrading and optimization of Taiwan's industrial structure, he said.

To strengthen cross-Straits trade cooperation, the participants at the meeting gave proposals and suggestions on specific issues like how to establish the "three direct links" across the Straits at an early date and how to improve local business environment and to secure the education of their children on the mainland.

Soong promised to take these issues into consideration and hoped the mainland authorities could give positive response to these issues.

"The PFP delegation will endeavor to protect the interests of Taiwan businessmen while holding talks with leaders of the Communist Party of China," he said, referring to Taiwan business people's concern on repeated taxation, trade facilitation, visa endorsement, timetable for cross-Straits direct air and shipping services, and education and employment of their children on the mainland. \