'1992 Consensus' to be further upheld in 2018: mainland's Taiwan affairs chief

The year 2018 will see the Chinese mainland unswervingly upholding the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus and opposing all forms of "Taiwan independence," said the Chinese mainland's Taiwan affairs chief Zhang Zhijun.

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) charted direction for pushing forward the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and advancing the process toward the peaceful reunification of China in the new era, said Zhang, head of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, in his New Year message carried by the "Relations Across Taiwan Straits" periodical.

Zhang said the cross-Strait situation was "complex and severe" in 2017.

The Democratic Progressive Party administration refused to recognize the 1992 Consensus and impeded cross-Strait exchanges, he said.

In 2017, the Chinese mainland rolled out more than 20 policies to provide Taiwanese people who live, work or travel on the mainland with better services, he said.

In the new year, he said, the mainland will continue to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and the peaceful reunification of the motherland, boost social and economic integrated development across the Taiwan Strait, and create benefits for cross-Strait compatriots.