Taiwan labels meeting 'pivotal' for relations

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-10-27  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

CHIANG Pin-kung, chairman of Taiwan's Strait Exchange Foundation, yesterday expressed hope that upcoming talks with the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait chief Chen Yunlin would be smooth.

The talks, scheduled for early next month, are important to cross-Strait relations and are expected to benefit the Taiwan economy, Chiang said.

He said the tasks for the "historic" talks would include completing the previous discussions on weekend cross-Strait chartered flights and mainland tourists visiting Taiwan. He expected they would help increase the frequency of the chartered flights and the number of terminals and shorten the route.

Chiang hoped that the talks would enhance cross-Strait cooperation in promoting freight charter flights, direct sea shipping and food safety. Taiwan's economy would benefit from peaceful and stable cross-Strait ties and Taiwan could avoid being marginalized as a regional economy through improving relations with the mainland, he said.

Chiang called the talks "historic" and "pivotal" for cross-Strait ties.