Beijing urges three direct links
( 2002-06-25 14:07 ) (1 )

Beijing Monday proposed that authorities on both sides of the Taiwan Straits entrust civil groups to jump-start talks on the three direct links of trade, transportation and mail services.

This is the first time the mainland has called for such immediate and concrete action from Taipei since it initiated the idea of establishing the links through non-official consultation.

Li Bingcai, executive deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said entrusted industrial bodies from Taiwan and the mainland can sign formal documents after reaching agreements on technical matters through consultation.

The documents may include such contents as the ports that each side should open to the other and shipping companies and airlines that may be involved.

After signing the agreements, these private groups should be in charge of having the papers confirmed by respective authorities and then implemented by related industries on both sides.

Li made the proposal in separate meetings with two delegations mainly consisting of "legislators" from Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and People First Party (PFP) and business leaders.

Mainland officials and experts from the trade, transportation, civil aviation, information industry, science and technology, education, postal administration, tourism and weather-forecast departments attended the meetings.

The 34-member Cross-Straits Economic and Trade Association delegation was headed by KMT heavyweight Her Zyh-huei. PFP "legislator" Fu Kun-chi led the Cross-Straits Political and Economic Exchanges Association.

The visits signalled the latest efforts made by Taiwan's opposition parties and business circles to lift the decades-old ban by Taiwan authorities on the three direct links.

Li said as long as the three links are viewed as domestic affairs within one country, their realization can be achieved at an early date through people-to-people, industry-to-industry and company-to-company consultation.

"We think our proposal is the most practical, convenient and feasible way of putting the three links in place given the current situation," Li said.

Li was referring to the absence of both official and semi-official contacts across the Taiwan Straits due to the refusal of the Taiwan authorities to accept the one-China principle.

In early May, Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said opening cross-Straits links was "a road we must take" and said his administration will consider allowing private groups to negotiate directly with the mainland on the issue.

But Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, yesterday accused the DPP leader of failing to honour his pledge and take practical steps to respond to the mainland's sincerity.

Her Zyh-huei and Fu Kun-chi said the ruling DPP administration has been standing in the way of the three direct links by blocking efforts from the opposition parties as well as the public.

But they vowed they would take more "legislative" measures to push ahead with the establishment of the links.