Chu signals adherence to 1992 Consensus

Xi Jinping, the head of the Communist Party of China, and Eric Chu, the head of Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang party, are due to meet in Beijing on Monday to discuss cross-Straits relations. On Sunday, Chu led a delegation to attend the Cross-Straits Economic, Trade and Culture Forum in Shanghai, where he met the mainland's top political adviser Yu Zhengsheng.

The 53-year-old Chu assumed office in January, as his predecessor Ma Ying-jeou resigned after the KMT's massive defeat in the biggest-ever local elections in November. The meeting with Xi is expected to deepen the communication between the leaders of the two parties and will help build on the positive momentum that has been created over the last decade, which has witnessed frequent high level exchanges between the CPC and KMT, including three official meetings held by their top leaders.

It all started in 2005, when Hu Jintao, then general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, met the former KMT chairman Lien Chan in Beijing, and the annual cross-Straits Economic, Trade and Culture Forum was inaugurated. Communication was further enhanced after Ma won the island's leadership election three years later.