ARATS Leader on Macao-Taiwan Relations ����Tang Shubei, the vice-president of the Association for Relations Across Taiwan Straits (ARATS), said in Beijing yesterday that seven policies on handling relations between Macao and Taiwan after 1999 announced yesterday by Vice-Premier Qian Qichen define the Macao-Taiwan relations under the one-China principle. ����Tang said that the policies state the limits of authority of the central government and the Macao Special Administrative Region on relations between Macao and Taiwan after Macao's return to the mainland on December 20, 1999 and demonstrate the basic principles of the Macao Basic Law and "One country, two systems" and "Macao people govern Macao." ����The seven basic policies are in the interest of both Macao and Taiwan and also benefit relations across the Taiwan Straits and the smooth handover of Macao. ����After Macao's returning, relations between Macao and Taiwan will be a special part of relations across the Taiwan Straits, Tang explained. The central government welcomes the people of Taiwan to get involved in investment, trade, industrial, and commercial activities in Macao. ����However, contacts between Macao and Taiwan will be covered by the "One China" principle, he said. ����About 1.8 million Taiwan people came to the mainland for a visit or business activities last year, and 700,000 of them came via Macao, Tang said. ����In comparing the way relations between Hong Kong and Taiwan and between Macao and Taiwan were handled, Tang said that relations between Hong Kong and Taiwan have developed smoothly since Hong Kong returned to China and this is a good experience for handling Macao-Taiwan relations. ����* ���� HomeNews 1999-01-17 Page2 Full Story in Chinese