BEIJING, May 1 (UPI) -- The world has welcomed the talks between China and the former ruling Kuomintang party of Taiwan, the official Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.
The news agency reported favorable comment from around the globe on Friday's historic meeting in Beijing between President Hu Jintao of China and visiting Chairman Lien Chan of the Kuomintang, or KMT.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: "We believe cross-Straits dialogue is important to promoting peace and stability in the region."
European Commission spokesperson Emma Udwin said: "We welcome the first step. We hope this is far from a full story, we hope this would prove to be a first step to a positive direction."
Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper said the two leaders found common ground against "Taiwan independence" in their talks. The Spanish newspaper El Pais published a cross-column article Saturday, highlighting the Hu-Lien handshake in Beijing. It said the historic meeting signifies "joint efforts of the CPC and the KMT against the 'Taiwan independence' trend."
The London-based Financial Times viewed the Hu-lien meeting as an end to decades of hostilities between the CPC and the KMT, saying the two parties have reached unprecedented reconciliation, Xinhua said.
