国内英语新闻:Senior official calls for peaceful reunification

BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese official Jia Qinglin called on Friday Chinese anti-independence organizations to continue their unique role and make new contributions to the promotion of national peaceful reunification.

    Jia made the comments in a meeting attended by representatives of overseas Chinese anti-independence organizations here.

    Jia, head of the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification, said that anti-independence organizations had played an important role in creating favorable conditions for the peaceful development of relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits.

Jia Qinglin (L), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification (CCPPR), meets with directors of CCPPR's overseas branches in Beijing, capital of China, April 24, 2009

    Jia, who is also chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, noted that last year, anti-independence organizations actively promoted exchanges and communications between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan and had firmly opposed separatist activities supporting "Taiwan independence" and "Tibet independence." They had also united overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao and especially those from Taiwan, he said.

    In promoting the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, the global alliance of anti-independence organizations shouldered important responsibilities and would continue to play their unique and important role, according to Jia, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

    He urged anti-independence organizations to oppose separatist activities in any form. He warned anti-independence groups to be vigilant against and firmly oppose separatist attempts by the ** Lama and his followers, and asked anti-independence organizations to boycott the infiltration of "Tibet-independence" forces.

    He also extended a message to those who had proposed "Taiwan independence" or had participated in or followed "Taiwan independence" forces, saying they were most welcome to return to the track of promoting the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations.