Mainland hopes Taiwan makes wise decision on cross-Straits relations

BEIJING - The Chinese mainland hopes Taiwan's current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration will make wise decisions on issues related to the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, a mainland spokesman said Wednesday.

"There is only one China in the world. It has been the universal consensus of international society to adhere to the one-China principle," Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a news briefing.

Ma's remarks came after China and Panama signed a joint communique Tuesday to establish diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level.

Ma stressed that the move accords with the will of the people and that there is no so-called "exchange of commercial interests."

The spokesman called on the DPP administration to clearly understand the situation and make the right choice to lay a solid foundation for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

From 2008 to May 20, 2016, both sides across the Taiwan Strait, acting on the common political foundation of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence," embarked on the path of peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, the spokesman said.

However, the political foundation for peaceful development of cross-Strait relations has been damaged since the DPP administration took office in May last year as the DPP refused to adhere to the 1992 Consensus and angered people on both sides of the Strait.

"It is clear who is changing the status quo of cross-strait relations and who lacks sincerity to pursue the path of peaceful development," Ma said.