BEIJING, April 14 -- Just as the old Chinese saying goes, "It takes minute and down-to-earth efforts to make a great achievement."

Given the current political stalemate in cross-Straits relations, every move to help promote exchanges and rapprochement between the mainland and Taiwan should be encouraged and cherished.

The Cross-Straits Economic and Trade Forum to open today in Beijing comes as part of the efforts by the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang (KMT) to improve ties across the Straits.

The event once again demonstrates the sincerity of the two parties to work for the immediate interests of people across the Straits.

Last April, the CPC and the KMT ended their decades-old enmity and pledged to seek cross-Straits reconciliation and peace following a historic meeting between CPC chief Hu Jintao and former KMT head Lien Chan.

Now they are turning to economic benefits across the Straits as the forum covers topics such as establishing regular direct cross-Straits charter flights, allowing mainland tourists to visit Taiwan and strengthening bilateral co-operation in agriculture and banking.

All these issues are not only conducive to achieving a win-win situation of mutual benefit across the Straits, but they are also crucial to reviving Taiwan's sagging economy.

Over the past two decades, economic integration between Taiwan and the mainland has accelerated as a result of the highly complementary nature of the two economies.

The mainland has become Taiwan's biggest export market and its largest source of trade surplus. By the end of 2005, Taiwan investors had funded 68,095 projects on the mainland, with contract investment of over US$90 billion.

Enhancing cross-Straits co-operation will help Taiwan speed up its economic transformation by taking advantage of the mainland's market and labour resources.

To forge closer cross-Straits economic links also conforms to the common aspiration of people on both sides for stable and peaceful relations between Taiwan and the mainland.

Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, reassured on Wednesday that the CPC-KMT exchanges will bring benefits to Taiwan rather than cause harm to the island as secessionist forces have claimed.

In fact, the exchanges between the CPC and Taiwan's opposition parties, aimed at promoting better understanding and stabilizing relations across the Straits, have won great support from the majority of Taiwan people.

If Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party administration really cares about public welfare, it should adopt a rational and pragmatic attitude towards all efforts to bolster cross-Straits ties.