Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou assumed the position of the island's ruling party chairman at Kuomintang's 18th plenary congress Saturday morning. (File Photo)

    Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou assumed the position of the island's ruling party chairman here at Kuomintang's 18th plenary congress Saturday morning.

    Ma Ying-jeou was sworn in after he took the party chairman's seal handed over by outgoing Wu Poh-hsiung who served the position for more than two years.

    Ma announced appointments of KMT honorary chairmen to Lien Chanand Wu Poh-hsiung who will assist him respectively on cross-Strait affairs and external exchanges.

    In his inaugural address at the ceremony, Ma pledged to continue exchanges and dialogues with the Communist Party of China(CPC) and promote mutual trust.

    The five-point "common wish for peaceful cross-Strait development" achieved by CPC Central Committee General Secretary Hu Jintao and then KMT Chairman Lien Chan has positive impact on cross-Strait relations, Ma said.

    The KMT-CPC dialogues have played an important role and should be cherished, he said.

    The cross-Strait economic, trade and culture forum, co-sponsored by KMT and CPC, will continue to be held, he said.

    On Saturday afternoon, the KMT passed its new political guideline, which included the five-point "common wish."

    Under the guideline, the KMT committed to normalizing cross-Strait economic relations and trade and establishing an economic cooperative mechanism.

    It will also promote cultural exchanges and judicial cooperation as well as work together with the mainland on environment protection and climate change.

    Ma said he would promote KMT's intraparty democracy and reform of the party's election, and increase dialogues with the island's opposition parties.

    Ma was elected Kuomintang's new chairman on July 26.