In her opening address Deng Yingchao, who was elected Chairwoman of the National Committee of the CPPCC at this session, said:

The peaceful reunification of the motherland is a common aspiration of the Chinese people of all nationalities and a glorious mission that history has bequeathed to us.... We respect history and we respect reality. We give full consideration to the wishes of the people of all nationalities in Taiwan and to the circumstances of the Taiwan authorities. We have in mind not only immediate but also long-term interests. After reunification of the motherland, the Communist Party and the Kuomintang will supervise each other, cooperate and coexist for a long time to come. As a special administrative region, Taiwan may maintain a system different from that on the mainland, so that the two will complement and support each other. Only if reunification is truly based on reality can our country become strong, prosperous and dynamic. To support the reunification of the motherland means to love the country. On condition that the country is reunified, all problems can sooner or later be solved through consultation. It is our sincere hope that the people of all nationalities in Taiwan, our other compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao and the Chinese nationals residing abroad, together with the people of various nationalities on the mainland, will continue to offer suggestions, so as to contribute to peaceful reunification.