James Soong Chu-yu, who is known for his eloquence, sought to win over his 'Chinese compatriots' in his first heart-to-heart speech on the mainland yesterday.
Wasting no time, the People First Party chairman spoke of how he felt before landing.
'When the plane was still flying over Xian , I could not hold myself back and had to take a look from the window at what I had been longing to see. In this beautiful land where the Chinese civilisation was born, I see our same ancestor. I was greatly touched,' he told a crowd at Xianyang Airport.
He was accorded virtually the same treatment as Kuomintang chairman Lien Chan - a warm reception on the airport apron followed by a banquet with Shaanxi Party Secretary Li Jianguo . He even stayed in the same suite of the same hotel as Mr Lien.
In his airport speech, Mr Soong emphasised repeatedly to his hosts that they were all Chinese. 'Many Taiwanese asked me if I could achieve 'three links' [during this trip]. I told them the most important thing was to achieve the 'fourth link' - the link of our hearts across the Taiwan Strait,' he said.
Once the personal secretary of late Republic of China president Chiang Ching-kuo, Mr Soong knows the importance of a good sound bite.