Ten Taiwanese businessmen, residents of Taiwan proper, yesterday afternoon sailed direct from Kinmen to Xiamen, on China's east coast, the first time an exception had been made to the regulation that direct cross-strait trips may only be made by residents of Kinmen under the provisions of the "small three links" (小三通) policy.
"The voyage was approved as a special case. The purpose is to enable Taiwanese businessmen to experience the effects of the policy for themselves. If this trial run works, the government will consider further relaxing the policy (
PHOTO: WU CHENG-TING, TAIPEI TIMES
Brushing aside concerns about whether the government would lift the restriction on cross-strait passenger transit via Kinmen, Tsai said that she hoped the small three links policy would mark an end to cross-strait confrontation and a new beginning for peaceful co-existence and co-prosperity.
Deputy Secretary-General of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF,
"If the interaction between both sides of the Strait is benign, [the government] is likely to modify the restrictions," Yen said, adding that he believed that all Taiwanese residents should be able to enter China via the outlying island groups of Kinmen and Matsu.
Under the small three links policy, however, only Kinmen and Matsu residents whose households have been registered in Kinmen or Matsu for over six months are allowed to apply for permits to enter China from Kinmen.
At yesterday's Chinese New Year gathering, New Party lawmaker Lee Chu-feng (
Such cross-strait trips, however, require approval from the governments of both sides. The Chinese authorities seem to be more welcoming of Taiwanese businessmen than of private Taiwanese citizens.
"It should be easier for Taiwanese businessmen [than for private citizens] to get approval [from China] to enter Xiamen," director of Xiamen city government Yang Lipo (
The businessmen, whose voyage was approved by both Taiwan's MAC and Fujian Province's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), arrived in Xiamen at around 3pm yesterday. Xiamen's TAO and its city government held a dinner banquet to welcome the businessmen, who included Huang Tieh-jung (
Vice-chairman of the SEF, Shi Hwei-yow (
"The success of the voyage shows that [cross-strait] links can be established even without conducting negotiations beforehand, although this case is exceptional," Shi said, adding that he believed cross-straits talks were still needed to consolidate the policy.
Tsai said that Taiwan and China should increase economic exchange and cooperation, and gradually expand constructive interaction to other fields since the two sides will soon be admitted to the WTO.
"The WTO accession is expected to provide a framework and common regulations for wide-ranging cross-strait commercial exchanges and cooperation, and facilitate the establishment of a new formula for bilateral engagement," Tsai added.
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