BEIJING, April 17 -- The Chinese mainland has welcomed a planned visit by Kuomintang Chairman Lien Chan from Taiwan. But it also warned against any foreign intervention over the Taiwan question.

　　Deputy director of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office Wang Zaixi said that the mainland is willing to discuss "issues of mutual concern" in hopes of improving relations.

　　"We are willing to exchange views with chairman Lien Chan and his delegation on the issues of mutual concern of the people from both sides. We believe that the visit of chairman Lien Chan will help push forward the improvement and development of relations between the two sides."

　　The trip to the mainland would be the first by a Kuomintang head in 60 years since the Chinese civil war in the 1940s.

　　Lien Chan's visit is preliminarily planned for April 30th, after Kuomintang's vice chairman Chiang Pin-kun paid a visit to the mainland a few weeks ago.

　　The mainland has welcomed exchanges across the Taiwan Straits, and on the conditions of upholding the one China principle, the mainland doesn't reject visits by members of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

　　Wang Zaixi said the key reason that the mainland hasn't have exchanges with the Democratic Progressive Party is the DPP has still insisted on its Taiwan independence principle.

　　The Taiwan affairs official also reiterated China's stance against any foreign interference in the Taiwan question.

　　"The Taiwan issue is an internal affair of China which concerns the core interests of China. Any direct or indirect activities to include China-Taiwan into the security arrangements between Japan and the United States are firmly opposed and will not be accepted by the Chinese government and the Chinese people."

　　The Taiwan question is a product of the Chinese civil war back in the 1940s. Now the mainland and Taiwan have not been reunified, but the fact that both sides belong to one and the same China has not changed.

　　The mainland has made its utmost for a peaceful reunification, and stressed that the one-China principle is the basis for any political negotiations between the two sides.

　　(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)