'Three direct links' obstructed by Taiwan authorities

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, December 17, 2003

'Three direct links' obstructed by Taiwan authorities

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The failure to realize direct, two-way and complete "three links" across the Taiwan Straits is mainly attributed to obstruction by the Taiwan authorities, says a document of the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council issued Wednesday.

"For a long time in the past, the Taiwan authorities have set up numerous barriers to inter-Straits 'Three direct links,' in disregard of the eager desire of compatriots across the Straits and the demands of Taiwan's economic growth," says the document on China's policy on direct links in mail, transport and trade across the Taiwan Straits.

Lee Teng-hui and the current leader of the Taiwan authorities have both tried to stall and obstruct the "three direct links" on the pretext of seeking "equality, security and dignity," says the document.

The document says the Taiwan authorities have willfully added stringent restrictive clauses to regulations concerning the "three direct links," attaching to them various political prerequisites in an attempt to hamper cross-Straits negotiation on the "three direct links".

The document says on one hand, the current leader of the Taiwan authorities refuses to accept the one-China principle or acknowledge the "1992 common understanding." As a result, cross-Straits dialogue and negotiation cannot be resumed.

On the other hand, he refuses to accept the simple and facile method of having non-governmental trade organizations negotiate "three direct links" matters, causing protracted delay in the opening of the "three direct links" negotiation, says the document.

Although the current leader of the Taiwan authorities has indicated that the "three direct links" should not be a problem and is "an inevitable way to go," in essence he is unwilling at all to see the cross-Straits exchanges and the normal development of inter-Straits relations, says the document.

He has broken his promise, gone back on his word, and done everything in his power to postpone the opening of the "three direct links." What's more, he has tried every possible means to politicize and complicate the "three direct links" issue, even to try to incorporate it in his framework of separatist proposition of "one country on each side", says the document.

The stand and policies of the current leader of the Taiwan authorities aimed at disrupting the development of cross-Straits relations and splitting the motherland are the root cause of the failure so far to realize the direct, two-way and complete "three links," the document says.

In 2002, the cross-Straits volume of passenger transport approached four million, the trade volume exceeded 40 billion US dollars-worth, and the volume of cargo transport reached anything up to tens of millions of tons, says the document.

Failure to institute the direct, two-way and complete "three links" has not only increased the economic burden on compatriots across the Straits, particularly Taiwan compatriots, but also wasted much of their time and energy, the document says.

Backgrounder: "three direct links" across Taiwan Straits

Since 1949, postal service, transport and trade have been cut off between the mainland and Taiwan of China, as a result of constant military antagonism across the Taiwan Straits.

On January 1, 1979, the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress issued a letter to Taiwan, proposing the two sides cooperate to promote direct exchanges of postal services, transport and trade. And since then, the Chinese mainland has made persistent efforts in this regard.

In November 1987, Taiwan authorities began to allow Taiwan residents to visit relatives in the mainland, and this move was greatly appreciated by the Chinese mainland, as it finally allowedcross-Straits contact, breaking a 38-year deadlock.

The operation promoting the "three direct links" has seen remarkable progress since being proposed for postal and telecommunication services, transport, trade, investment and finance.

At present, the "three direct links" have been limited to an indirect, unilateral and partial stage, due to interference by theTaiwan authorities.

Despite hardship in the cross-Straits relations, the development of economic and cultural exchanges between the two sides have continued during the past 10 years, which indicates thepeople of the two sides, with similar ancestry and culture, are sharing growing common interests.

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China issues document on "three direct links" across Taiwan Straits

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