The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Wednesday issued a document on China's policy on direct links in mail, transport and trade across the Taiwan Straits.
Following is the full text of the document, titled "Actively and Realistically Promote 'Three Direct Links' Across the Taiwan Straits by Reliance on the People and in the Interests of the People":
Foreword
Owing to the military confrontation across the Taiwan Straits in the past 30 years or more since 1949, people-to-people contacts and direct links in mail, transport and trade between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits were totally suspended, resulting in total division between the compatriots across the Straits. On New Year's Day 1979, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) issued a message to compatriots in Taiwan. In a bid to make it easier for family members, relatives and friends of compatriots on both sides of the Straits to visit each other, to communicate, travel, and develop economic, cultural and other ties, the message initiated a proposal for "starting postal and air and shipping services across the Straits as soon as possible," and "developing trade, supplying each other's needs, and conducting economic exchanges." The mainland has since spared no effort in forging direct links in mail, transport and trade (hereinafter referred to as the "three direct links," or "three links") across the Straits. In November 1987, the Taiwan authorities made the decision to permit Taiwan compatriots to visit their relatives on the mainland, which was welcomed by the mainland and ended the 38-year-long severance between the two sides of the Straits. People-to-people contacts and economic and cultural exchanges across the Straits have since made development, and thus accelerated the progress of the "three direct links." Such contacts and exchanges have made much headway in the past dozen years. But, to our regret, the cross-Straits "three links" remains in an indirect, one-way and partial state due to restrictions and obstructions imposed by the Taiwan authorities. An early realization of direct, two-way and complete "three links" will be in the immediate and fundamental interests of people on both sides of the Straits. We hope that compatriots on both sides will make concerted efforts and actively and realistically promote the "three direct links" across the Straits, so as to bring benefits to our posterity.
I. The Status Quo of the "Three Direct Links" Across the Straits and the Problems to Be Solved
1. Progress of the "Three Direct Links"
Under strong demand from compatriots, and due to negotiations and efforts by business circles, on both sides of the Straits, the "three direct links" have started from scratch and progressed to varying degrees.(1) Postal Link Mail Service
The mainland formally launched ordinary and registered mail services with Taiwan in 1979. In 1989 inter-Straits direct postal parcel delivery was established via Hong Kong. In April 1993, the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) signed the Agreement on Inquisition and Compensation of Registered Letters Across the Straits. Registered letter service hence went into formal operation across the Straits.
Telecommunication Service
In 1979, the mainland started telegraph and telephone services with Taiwan. In 1989, Taiwan opened telegraph and telephone services with the mainland via a third place. In 1996, China Telecom and the Taiwan-based Chunghwa Telecom set up direct telecom business ties. And direct telecommunication channels across the Straits were set up through Sino-American, Eurasian and Asia-Pacific seabed optical cables constructed in 1999 and 2000. The telecommunication departments of both sides have launched mutual telephone, data communication, mobile phone roaming and videophone services. Cross-Straits telecom business has been booming, accounting for the largest and second-largest shares of the overseas telecom business of Taiwan and the mainland, respectively.
2) Transport Link Shipping Service
In August 1979, the mainland proposed for negotiations on sea transportation across the Straits with the shipping community in Taiwan, and declared that Taiwan ships would have access to all its open ports. In order to ensure navigation security across the Straits, the mainland offered the services of mainland light houses to ships from Taiwan, and fully opened offshore radio service to Taiwan ships to provide them with communication and navigation services. In addition, the two sides co-founded a search and rescue hotline. Relevant regulations, such as Measures for Shipping Management Across the Taiwan Straits, promulgated in August 1996, standardize essential matters concerning direct shipping across the Straits. So far, seven business offices and 37shipping agencies for Taiwan-based shipping companies have been given approval to be set up at key ports on the mainland's coastal areas.
In April 1997, direct shipping between
Fuzhou and Xiamen, and Kaohsiung entered trial operation. Mainland- and Taiwan-invested shipping companies can use vessels with a flag of convenience to transport foreign transshipment trade cargos of both sides via Kaohsiung Port. In March 1998, a regular container shipping route was inaugurated across the Straits, whereby cargo ships calling atports across the Straits require change of documents rather than vessels at a third place.
In consideration of the demand of the people in Jinmen and Mazu, in early 2001 the mainland provided every possible assistance for shipping between the two islands and the coastal areas of Fujian Province. Vessels funded by and registered on either side of the Straits can conduct passenger and cargo transport across the Straits by flying only company flags.
Air Service
In October 1981, the mainland's civil aviation administration expressed readiness to negotiate at any time with its Taiwan counterpart on an air link across the Straits. In March 1990, the mainland released the Provisional Regulations on Application and Approval Procedures for Nonscheduled Flights of Civil Aviation Transport Between the China Mainland and Taiwan. From 1989 to 1996,the civil aviation sectors of both sides each served as sales agencies in passenger and cargo transport for the other, and commenced one-ticket and through baggage services between them. They signed several agreements on cooperation in the aspects of ticket-booking, commerce, plane maintenance, aviation and services. In December 1995 and August 1996, Air
Macao and Dragonair opened Macao-Taiwan and Hong Kong-Taiwan air routes, respectively, realizing indirect air links between the mainland and Taiwan via
Macao and Hong Kong. Since 1997, four Taiwan airlines have been given approval to set up their representative offices in Beijing.
In 2003, the mainland adopted flexible and practical measures aimed at handling special cases with special methods, to facilitate Taiwan business people's return to the island for the Spring Festival: Six Taiwan airlines were given approval to operate charter planes 16 times to carry Taiwan business people to commute between Taipei and Kaohsiung and
Shanghai via
Hong Kong and Macao. This was the first time in 50-plus years that Taiwan-operated planes had landed at a mainland airport by a normal approach.(3) Business Link (Trade, Investment and Finance) Trade
Since 1979, the mainland has opened its market to Taiwan products, offering them preferential treatment such as tax exemption or reduction. In December 2000, the Ministry of Foreign Trade
