The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC,
The MAC confirmed that more than 300 illegal Chinese immigrants it had sent back to China in two groups on Thursday and yesterday had arrived safely in the southeastern Chinese port of Xiamen.
Lin Chong-pin (
Lin said that Taiwan had sent back more than 2,000 Chinese illegal immigrants in 11 groups this year. However, more than 800 individuals remain in Taiwan, he said.
Taiwan has been returning Chinese illegal immigrants by boat from Hsinchu since Taiwan and China signed the Kinmen Agreement in 1993. The two sides agreed that illegal immigrants could be returned under the supervision of the International Red Cross.
But the terms under which each group is returned to China have to be negotiated separately, with the Red Cross in China or Taiwan acting as the intermediary. Taiwan does not send back immigrants unless China has agreed.
Lin urged Chinese officials to cooperate with Taiwan regarding Chinese illegal immigrants in accordance with the agreement, saying that this was particularly important at the turn of the year.
"We hope that mainlanders from China can go home to join their families as quickly as possible to celebrate the New Year," Lin said.
The MAC also expressed its wish to cooperate with China in preventing illegal immigration to Taiwan and to continue unofficial exchanges.
Lin said the MAC would continue to push for a resumption of dialogue between the two sides.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) confirmed yesterday evening that the Taiwan-Hong Kong air-travel pact had been extended for six months until June 30.
The MOTC said in a statement that Taiwan and Hong Kong will continue to negotiate a new pact within the next six months. The current five-year agreement ran out in June and has now been extended twice.
The MAC also said yesterday that the Government Information Office's new representative at Taiwan's Kwang Hwa Information and Culture Center (光華新聞文化中心) in Hong Kong has not yet been issued with a Hong Kong work permit.
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