President Chen Shui-bian (
"Unless the negotiation of legal details is completed with the other side of the [Taiwan] Strait, it will be difficult for citizens of the PRC to come to Kinmen and Matsu," said Chiou I-jen (
Chiou was speaking at a press conference following the weekly meeting of the government's nine member task force which includes high ranking government policy makers and leaders from the DPP.
"The `small three links' should be carried out in a systematic manner," Chiou quoted Chen as saying during yesterday evening's meeting.
During the meeting, Chen stressed that while Taiwan was sincere about opening up the small three links between Taiwan's outlying islands and China, national security and social order on the islands was also a key concern.
From January of next year trade between Taiwan's outlying islands and two ports in China, Xiamen and Fuzhou, will no longer be illegal. Citizens from Taiwan can travel to China, but whether or not citizens from China will be allowed to come to Taiwan's outlying islands depends on whether or not Beijing reopens negotiations with Taiwan over legal details, Chiou quoted Chen as saying.
Currently direct communications, transportation and trade links are banned between Taiwan and China. Shortly after Chen was elected, Taiwan's Legislative Yuan passed the Offshore Islands Development Bill (
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