Senior mainland official calls on Taiwan people to make right choice

A senior official from the Chinese mainland called on people in Taiwan to make a right choice in the upcoming Taiwan leadership election, saying it is an important choice between "peace and war" and "prosperity and recession".

Zhang Zhijun, president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, a quasi-official body that handles ties with Taiwan, made the remarks in a New Year's message published in the first issue of the Relations Across Taiwan Strait magazine on Wednesday.

Taiwan's leadership election takes place every four years. For this year's election, scheduled to be held on Jan 13, candidates from the island's three major political parties have been gearing up for the position.

Zhang said that Taiwan compatriots should stand on the right side of history, adhere to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, firmly oppose separatist activities that support "Taiwan independence" and interference by external forces, and make a correct choice to bring cross-Strait relations back to the right track of peaceful development.

He said although there may be difficulties and challenges on the new journey, the mainland has the confidence and resilience to cope with risks and challenges in the advancement of cross-Strait relations.

Regardless of how the international situation changes, the mainland will not waver in its determination to promote peaceful and integrated development across the Strait, and to enhance exchanges and cooperation for the benefit of compatriots, he said.

The mainland's commitment to upholding the one-China principle, and opposing "Taiwan independence" and external interference, will never change, he added.