Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said in Beijing Wednesday that he welcomes the current inter-party dialogues across the Taiwan Straits.

In a meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan, Kissinger called the two Taiwan opposition leaders' visits to the mainland "historic" and said that any peaceful resolution to the Taiwan issue would be welcomed by the US government.

On April 26, Lien Chan, chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang Party, began an eight-day visit to the Chinese mainland at the invitation of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and General Secretary Hu Jintao. Following his visit, James C. Y.

Soong, chairman of People First Party (PFP), the second largest opposition party leader in Taiwan, kicked off a nine-day visit to the mainland at Hu's invitation beginning May 5.

Cao, also vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and a state councilor, said the Taiwan issue remains the biggest challenge to the China-US relations. He said he hoped the US government would adhere to the one-China policy, abide by the three Sino-US joint communiques and support the dialogues and exchanges across the Taiwan Straits.

Cao said the China-US relations are of great importance. He said the two governments have had effective negotiations and cooperation on fighting terrorism as well as on trade and regional security, which have "further emented the foundation of the bilateral relations and also contributed to the world peace and stability."

Kissinger suggested that the US and China "build a new framework of cooperation" and make joint efforts to further the bilateral ties.

Kissinger, an 82-year-old foreign policy expert, arrived here on a goodwill visit to China at the invitation of China Institute for International Strategic Studies.