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Government urged to plan ahead for three direct links

The government should have a workable plan for opening and developing the "three direct links" across the Taiwan Strait as soon as possible, a group concerned with the issue concluded at a workshop yesterday.

Academics, political observers and business leaders agreed that, although the cross-strait political impasse is unlikely to be resolved in the near future, Taiwan's government should have relevant plans prepared to facilitate its long-term economic development.

Speaking at the meeting to discuss the "three direct links" -- direct trade, postal and transportation ties between Taiwan and China -- and cross-strait relations, Chen Li-ying (陳麗瑛), a research fellow with the private think tank Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, said that regardless of whether a person talks about foreign capital managers or foreign governments, when they are involved with financial or economic dealings with Taiwan, their key concern is the situation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Chen said that the presidential candidates from the ruling and opposition parties should come up with concrete, far-reaching policies on the development of cross-strait relations. The candidates should let the voters know what their political and economic arrangements for the nation will be if they are elected, Chen said.

Tsai Hung-ming (蔡宏明), deputy secretary-general of the Chinese National Federation of Industries, said that although cross-strait political deadlock remains, the government and opposition parties should not waste any time in coming up with concrete and workable policies concerning the "three direct links."

Tsai urged the government and the opposition parties to pay more attention to the development of Taiwan's domestic industries and businesses.

Since it is just a matter of time before the "three direct links" will be opened, measures should be drafted to protect the domestic industrial sector -- the backbone of Taiwan's economic growth -- from sustaining too heavy an impact from the opening of the "three direct links," Tsai said.
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