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| Congress delegate calls for direct cross－Strait links |
| CCTV.COM 2002-11-11 10:11:04 |
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At the group discussions of the CPC National Congress on Sunday, a Party delegate from Air China urged the Taiwan authorities to promote the three direct links. The delegate says indirect trade, transport and mail services are now the biggest obstacles to the strengthening cross－strait economic ties.
CPC Congress delegate Li Jiaxiang was obviously agitated and sometimes even pained as he talked about the still indirect trade, transport and mail services. He said, "People of both the mainland and Taiwan are Chinese. Please stop wasting production and economic resources. Let's join together to use them more efficiently."
Currently, Taiwan is the mainland's fourth biggest investor. Taiwan companies have mushroomed to more than 65,000 on the mainland since the 1980's. However, Taiwanese businessmen have to transit through Hong Kong when they fly to the mainland and investments can only land on the other side of the straits via the special administrative region. The central government has been calling for the three direct links since 1979, and is well prepared for their early realization. Li Jiaxiang said, "My company has done a lot of work in a bid to open direct cross－Strait air services. We have sent professionals to have discussions with their Taiwan counterparts and map out concrete plans in this regard." Li Jiaxiang also said a direct flight from Beijing to Taipei would only take three hours, five hours less than now. With Taiwan investment pouring into the mainland, Taiwan business people suffer the most from this inconvenience.
Qi Daofu, Chairman of Taiwan Compatriot Investment Enterprises Assoc. of Kunshan, said, "All Taiwan investors on the mainland hope we can have direct links so we can save money and time." The Taiwan Council of Economic Planning and Development estimates direct links could save Taiwan business people 700 million US dollars each year.
Now the Chinese mainland has become Taiwan's industrial outpost and serves as a powerful engine for the island's economic progress.
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Editor: Wang Yin CCTV.com
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