'We cannot replace the [Taiwanese] government and its exercise of public powers. However, the PFP will not belittle ourselves just because we are an opposition party. We can unite with the Kuomintang and pursue the desires of the majority of the public,' Mr Soong said.

The 63-year-old leader of Taiwan's second-largest opposition party said that after deep and frank discussions, the PFP and Communist Party had agreed on a joint communique which included new terminology to describe the current state of mainland-Taiwan relations as 'two sides, one China', and new mechanisms to push for direct transport links and tariff-free imports of Taiwanese agricultural products to the mainland.

Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party has so far refused to implement such proposals until Beijing negotiates with it as an equal entity.

However, Mr Soong said his party would put the communique to the legislature to pressure the government to adopt the measures. Combined, the PFP and its KMT ally hold a majority in the legislature.

'We must not only play the role of monitoring the government, but also have the responsibility to push forth anything that serves the interests of the Taiwanese people,' Mr Soong said, pledging that the PFP and the KMT would also use their majority to promote a 'peace law'.

Mr Soong also said he spent a great deal of time explaining to Mr Hu what people in Taiwan thought about their existing institutions and above all, their resolve to defend their freedom and democratic institutions.

However, he made no mention of whether he explicitly told Mr Hu about the Republic of China - Taiwan's official name - or its adherence to Sun Yat-sen's 'Three Principles of the People', which he frequently mentioned earlier on his mainland tour to the apparent displeasure of mainland officials.

But Mr Soong did reveal he told the mainland leader it was currently unrealistic to discuss Taiwan's reunification with the mainland because many problems had yet to be resolved.

'This kind of concept [on reunification] at the present time is quite difficult,' he said while emphasising that Taiwan's people were mostly concerned about peace.

On whether he delivered a message from Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian to Mr Hu, Mr Soong said that before coming to the mainland he contacted representatives of the island's political spectrum and that he made all their views known yesterday.

'The views of those people are quite representative of the prevailing thinking and reflective of the political reality in Taiwan. We hope this reality receives due respect,' he said.

'I don't want to use technical language here and say which words were whose and which phrases represented which group. What I have done is provide a representation of the whole Taiwan.'