James Soong, Chairman of the People First Party (PFP) in Taiwan, left Taipei for the Chinese mainland city Shanghai Wednesday morning to attend a non-governmental forum of elites, according to sources in Taiwan.

Prior to his departure, he said the forum aims to stabilize relations across the Taiwan Strait and seek more peaceful and better lives for the people. He will exchange views with the mainland side on cross-Strait economic and trade development and direct air links.

Without a stable cross-Strait relations, said Soong, there will be no sustained economic growth. Better lives, stable cross-Strait relations and economic rejuvenation are in the best interests of the people.

The coming first session of the non-governmental forum of elites from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, scheduled for Sept. 14-16, is jointly sponsored by the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and and the Policy Research Center of the PFP.

The forum is regarded as major step in implementing the communique of talks between General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Hu Jintao and PFP Chairman James Soong in May.

Source: Xinhua