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Foreword |
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Owing to the military confrontation across the Taiwan Straits in the past 30 years or more since 1949, people-to-people contacts and direct links in mail, transport and trade between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits were totally suspended, resulting in total division between the compatriots across the Straits. On New Year's Day 1979, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) issued a message to compatriots in Taiwan. In a bid to make it easier for family members, relatives and friends of compatriots on both sides of the Straits to visit each other, to communicate, travel, and develop economic, cultural and other ties, the message initiated a proposal for "starting postal and air and shipping services across the Straits as soon as possible," and "developing trade, supplying each other's needs, and conducting economic exchanges." The mainland has since spared no effort in forging direct links in mail, transport and trade (hereinafter referred to as the "three direct links," or "three links") across the Straits. In November 1987, the Taiwan authorities made the decision to permit Taiwan compatriots to visit their relatives on the mainland, which was welcomed by the mainland and ended the 38-year-long severance between the two sides of the Straits. People-to-people contacts and economic and cultural exchanges across the Straits have since made development, and thus accelerated the progress of the "three direct links." Such contacts and exchanges have made much headway in the past dozen years. But, to our regret, the cross-Straits "three links" remains in an indirect, one-way and partial state due to restrictions and obstructions imposed by the Taiwan authorities. An early realization of direct, two-way and complete "three links" will be in the immediate and fundamental interests of people on both sides of the Straits. We hope that compatriots on both sides will make concerted efforts and actively and realistically promotethe "three direct links" across the Straits, so as to bring benefits to our posterity. |
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