Wang Huning, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), has urged steadfast efforts to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and advance national reunification.
Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks at a work conference on Taiwan affairs held in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday.
Wang stressed the need to uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, firmly combat Taiwan separatist forces and oppose interference by external forces.
He also called for facilitating people-to-people and primary-level exchanges, and supporting Taiwan compatriots, especially young people, seeking to study, work and live on the mainland.
He further emphasized the importance of supporting the development of Taiwan's businesspeople and enterprises on the mainland, so that people on both sides of the Strait can share the opportunities and achievements of Chinese modernization.
The meeting was chaired by Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs.
Senior CPC official stresses advancing peaceful relations across Taiwan Strait
U.S. military forces continue to enforce "U.S. sanctions and fully implement the blockade against ships entering or departing Iranian ports", U.S. Central Command said on social media Saturday.
In a post on X, the U.S. Central Command said that 37 vessels have been redirected since the start of the blockade, noting a merchant vessel named Sevan, intercepted in the Arabian Sea earlier Saturday by the U.S. forces, is currently "complying with U.S. military direction to turn back to Iran under escort".
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on April 12 that the U.S. Navy would begin blocking ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz. His decision came after the first round of U.S.-Iranian talks on April 11 and 12 in Islamabad, Pakistan, failed to produce a peace deal.
In response to Trump's announcement, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that "any threat against the security of the Strait of Hormuz will have large-scale consequences for global trade".
On Saturday, Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, reiterated its pledge to react if the United States continues its "blockade, banditry and piracy" in the West Asia region. Trump announced earlier Saturday that he has canceled the trip of U.S. representatives going to Islamabad this weekend for talks with the Iranian side.
US military says blockade against Iran to be continuously "fully implemented"
