President Hu, Soong to meet Thursday

President Hu Jintao has said he is looking forward to meeting Taiwan opposition leader James Soong this Thursday.

Hu Jintao said communications between parties across the strait will help to promote good relations between the island and the mainland. And he says the two parties have a common political basis for their communications.

"Both we and Mr. Soong insist on the 'one-China' Principle, keeping to the '1992 Consensus' and opposing 'Taiwan Independence'. That's the political basis for communications between our two parties," said Hu. "Based on this, we can promote communications across the strait through dialogue and discussion."

Late last month, President Hu Jintao met with leader of Taiwan's largest opposition party, the chairman of Kuomintang, Lien Chan. He says contacts between parties across the strait can only be a positive step.

Taiwan opposition leader James Soong, who's now on his mainland trip, visited a renowned ancient learning site, the Yuelu College and the popular provincial museum in his hometown Tuesday, central China's Hunan Province.

Source: CRI news