国内英语新闻:Chinese mainland willing to promote cross-strait people-to-people contacts

BEIJING, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland's Taiwan affairs chief expressed willingness to promote people-to-people contacts across the Taiwan Strait while meeting with Taiwanese delegates on Friday.

Through people-to-people contacts, the mainland will be able to get a true picture of Taiwan and understand its needs at the grassroots level, said Wang Yi, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, while meeting a group of resident delegates from 30 Taiwanese townships.

"The current state of relations across the strait was hard-earned. We should cherish it, protect it and improve it," he said.

So long as the two sides adhere to the 1992 Consensus and oppose "Taiwanese independence," cross-strait relations will remain peaceful and stable, said Wang, who is also head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

"People from both sides can work together for the revival of our nation so that all Chinese, from the mainland or Taiwan, can win respect from across the world," he said.