Xi meets IOC president, honorary president

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday met with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry and Honorary President for Life Thomas Bach in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

Coventry and Bach are in China to attend the opening ceremony of the 15th National Games.

"I'm glad to meet you, Mrs. President Coventry and Mr. Honorary President Bach. You coming all the way to China fully shows your support for China's sports cause and the close ties between China and the IOC. The National Games which will open soon this evening is China's largest and highest-level multi-sport event. Welcome to join the Chinese people in witnessing China's new achievements in sports development in the new era and the Chinese athletes' new vitality," said Xi.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' separatist moves to stoke cross-Strait hostility are unpopular and doomed to fail, said Zhang Han, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing on Wednesday.

Zhang made the comments at a regular press conference in response to a media query about recent inappropriate remarks by Chiu Chui-cheng, head of the so-called "mainland affairs council", regarding the Chinese mainland's policy of advancing high-quality cross-Strait integrated development".

"Our fellow Taiwan compatriots are our kith and kin. Over the years, acting on the principle that 'people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are all of the same family', we have actively promoted cross-Strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation, deepened the integrated development across various fields, and made steady progress in implementing policies that provide equal treatment to Taiwan compatriots. These efforts have continuously yielded new results, fully demonstrating our goodwill in seeking benefits for Taiwan compatriots and our sincerity in advancing the peaceful and integrated development of cross-Strait relations. Such endeavors have been met with strong support and wide acclaim from our Taiwan compatriots. Driven by its separatist pursuit of 'Taiwan secession', the DPP authorities are deeply fearful of closer ties between people across the Strait. They have deliberately fanned the flames of confrontation and antagonism, while resorting to slander and obstruction against anything that helps develop cross-Strait relations and benefits people on both sides. Such moves are deeply unpopular and are bound to fail," she said.