This year is the seventh anniversary of President Jiang Zemin's eight point proposal for continued efforts toward the unification of China. Jiang's eight points are in essence one China two systems and Taiwan may maintain its current administration and military forces. Discussion meetings were held in a number of places in the United States, such as in New York and Washington, D.C. In Chicago, the meeting was held at the Consulate-General on February 2 followed by lunch buffet.
At the meeting, copies of comments by Chinese Vice-Premier Qian Qichen were distributed. At a recent forum held at the Great Hall of the People in China, Qian pointed out that the consensus reached by Chinese mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchanges Foundation (SEF) in Hong Kong in 1992 whereby both sides of the Taiwan Straits adhere to the ``One-China " principle show political wisdom in dealing with differences appropriately and breaking the deadlock effectively. "We will abide by the fundamental principle of 'peaceful reunification, one country and two systems, fully implement President Jiang Zemin's eight- point proposal concerning the present cross-straits relations and promote the process of the peaceful reunification of the motherland, take active measures and work hard to push forward cross-straits relations so as to achieve a peaceful reunification," said Qian.
Meeting participants were supportive of Jiang's points. Their consensus is summarized as follows: Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory according to its history and international law which have been unequivocally acknowledged by Japan in her peace treaties with victorious nations after World War II, and reiterated at the Cairo Conference and Potsdam Declaration as well. Any plan or action to separate Taiwan from China is condemned and will be met with force if necessary. In economic area, if China is progressing in the steps as they are today, China will become a strong economic power next to the United States by year 2010. By that time, Taiwan will join China peacefully.