Taiwan’s veteran politician James Soong Chu-yu Wednesday said he hoped Macau and Taiwan could both grab the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area’s (GBA) development opportunity and jointly promote the nation’s rejuvenation, according to a statement by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS).
According to the statement, Soong made the remarks during a meeting with Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On at Government Headquarters.
After arriving in Macau on Tuesday evening from Hong Kong, Soong and his entourage will tour GBA cities in Guangdong.
Chui noted that Macau and Taiwan have close historical relations, adding that both sides maintain frequent contacts in various areas and have a wide cooperative perspective about their relationship.
Chui also said that the Macau government welcomes Taiwan people and groups to strengthen their communication with Macau based on the “1992 Consensus”, adding that the local government would continue to promote Cross-Strait relations.
According to the “1992 Consensus”, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait agree that there is only one China.
Soong told Chui, according to the GCS statement, he believed that the tour would help Taiwan people understand the promising prospects of participating in the GBA development.
Soong met Central People’s Government Liaison Office in Macau Director Fu Ziying at the San Chok Un Guesthouse (New Bamboo Mansion) on Penha Hill on Tuesday evening, according to a statement by the office.
The statement quoted Fu as saying that the GBA is the frontline of the nation’s reform and opening-up and that the area is full of “economic vitality”.
The GBA comprises nine cities in Guangdong as well as the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
Fu also said Taiwan should not be an “absentee” from the GBA project, but that it should grab the opportunity by actively participating and sharing the “rewards” offered by the area’s development.
According to the statement by the office, Soong noted that his tour of the GBA is aiming to explore the opportunities and possibilities of strengthening cooperation between the two sides.
Soong, who chairs the opposition People First Party (PFP), also noted that his party would continue to support the “1992 Consensus”, reject the island’s independence and pursue peace across the Taiwan Strait.
Soong also attended a talk about the GBA development by the local government’s Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau (DSEPDR) and visited the public University of Macau (UM) on Hengqin Island, after which he and his retinue began their visit to Guangdong.
Soong was born in Hunan province in 1942. He was a member of the Kuomintang (KMT) between 1981 and 1999. He founded the People First Party in 2000.(Macaunews)
