Three major foreign business chambers in Taipei yesterday jointly expressed the hope that next week’s negotiations on cross-strait transportation links and other forms of cooperation would result in substantial progress in easing the flow of people, goods and capital between Taiwan and China.
“The scheduled talks … are a vital opportunity to remove longstanding obstacles in the conducting of cross-strait business that have prevented Taiwan from fully participating in the regional and global economies,” a joint press statement issued by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, the European Chamber of Commerce Taipei and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Taipei said.
The chambers said that the implementation of daily direct flights and cargo flights across the Taiwan Strait, if finalized in the upcoming talks, would help boost the investment confidence of both foreign and domestic firms in Taiwan, while lowering operating costs and increasing shipping efficiency.
They said they hoped to see both aviation and shipping routes opened to international lines in addition to those from Taiwan and China.
They said they would also keep an eye on the forthcoming negotiations for signs of progress in permitting banks to engage in cross-strait business and other moves to ease financial market restrictions, in addition to food safety cooperation.
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