Chinese central government departments and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) held a ceremony on Monday in Beijing to lament the death of ARATS President Wang Daohan.

Officials of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council(TAOSC), as well as staffs of the ARATS showed their condolence by triple bows to the portrait of Wang Daohan, who died of disease in Shanghai Saturday morning at the age of 90.

Chen Yunlin, director of the TAOSC and Li Bingcai, deputy president of the ARATS told Xinhua after the ceremony that Chinese leaders have been concerned about Wang's health since his disease deteriorated.

Officials of the TAOSC and ARATS have been assigned to visit Wang in Shanghai for several times, Chen and Li said.

Wang was still concerned about the situation across the straits when he was ill abed and just five days ago he asked the visiting officials to make efforts to resume the talks and consultation within the the framework of the 1992 Consensus across the Taiwan Straits and maintain the interests of Taiwan compatriots, said Chen.

Wang, who had devoted himself to the Chinese liberation and construction undertakings, has made great contribution to the promotion of the cross-Straits relations and the common interests of people on both sides, Chen said.

Chen and Li said that Wang undeviatingly sticked to the one-China policy and opposed splitting activities of "Taiwan independence". He made all efforts to promote the cross-Straits development, especially the peaceful talks and consultation between the two sides, which has received much respect of Taiwan compatriots.

Chen said the first high-level non-governmental talks across the Straits held by Wang and Koo Chen-fu, chairman of the Taiwan-based Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF) in Singapore 1993 was a historical leap in across-Straits relations.

Wang is a brilliant, modest and erudite superior and his death is a great loss and a great sorrow to compatriots of the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, Li said.

Chen and Li vowed to continue to increase economic and social exchanges across the Straits and enhance the talks and negotiations between the two sides on the basis of the one-China policy to promote the country's peaceful reunification.

The ceremony of paying respects to Wang's remains will be held in Shanghai, according to the TAOSC and ARATS.

Source: Xinhua