China Says New Taiwan Links Don't Go Far Enough
A day after Taiwan permitted three vessels from its frontline islands of Quemoy and Matsu to sail directly to the Chinese mainland on Tuesday, muted coverage in state media underscored Beijing's lack of enthusiasm.
And in a sign China would continue to shun the government of Taiwan President Chen Shui-Bian and deal with his opponents, two Taipei opposition parties revealed plans to send large delegations to Beijing on Thursday.
China has avoided expressing enthusiasm for the limited links, trying instead to achieve full trade, transport and postal links it hopes will help lead to Taiwan reunifying with China.
While Taiwan newspapers gave the voyages front-page coverage, only Beijing's English-language CHINA DAILY gave the event prominent coverage, calling the voyage a "milestone".
But it quoted an expert at a government think tank as saying Taiwan's new policy was "an utterly inadequate measure".
"Taipei's plan to partly ease a ban on direct cross-straits transport, trade and postal services has fallen short of real and full bilateral links," it quoted Xu Shiquan, director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Taiwan Studies, as saying.
Limited Links
Xu said Beijing nevertheless was "poised to support" Taiwan's unilateral plan, under which boats from Matsu and Quemoy may carry passengers and goods to the Fujian Province ports of Fuzhou and Xiamen.
Up to 700 mainland Chinese at a time may also apply to visit Quemoy and Matsu for up to seven days, but can only go there on Taiwan ships.
Small boats have plied the waters between Fujian and the Taiwan islands for years, but Taipei has considered the activities smuggling while China has viewed them as legal trade.
Chinese experts gave Chen little credit for the modest measure and said its impact would be negligible.
"This merely legalizes what has been taking place for a long time and it will not lead to greater exchanges," said Yan Xuetong, an international affairs expert at Tsinghua University.
In Xiamen, which is hosting a 192-member delegation from nearby Quemoy led by county commissioner Chen Shui-Tsai, people were more sanguine.
"It's a preliminary step, but a historic one," said an electronics company official, An Hao.
Beijing Embraces Opposition
In a development that appeared designed to overshadow the visits to Fujian, two pro-reunification Taiwan opposition parties said they would send delegations to Beijing on Thursday to discuss full direct cross-strait links.
Legislator Her Jyh-Huei from the Nationalist Party said on Wednesday he would lead a delegation of more than 70 people to the mainland, including 31 nationalist lawmakers.
And lawmaker Fung Hu-Hsiang from the smaller New Party would lead a group of four party legislators and representatives from local shipping and airline industries.
The groups were not authorized by the government to conduct any negotiations. But both said they would meet senior Chinese officials, possibly including Vice Premier Qian Qichen.
Beijing, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province, has refused to deal with Chen and his pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party. Instead, Chinese authorities have wooed Taiwan's opposition and business leaders.
(Reuter)