New round of cross-strait talks will take place by year-end: MAC
ROC Central News Agency
Taipei, Sept. 9 (CNA) A new round of cross-Taiwan Strait negotiations will be held before the end of this year, with both sides expected to reach consensus on all the issues up for discussion in the coming talks, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan said Tuesday.
"The two sides have been preparing for Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of the Taipei-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) , and his Chinese counterpart, Chen Yunlin, president of the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), to meet in the near term for the second round of talks this year," Lai said.
Lai made the remarks during a meeting with British parliamentarians John Smith and Brian Jenkins.
Chiang and Chen met for the first time during the first round of SEF-ARATS negotiations in June in Beijing, clinching two landmark accords which allow for the establishment of direct cross-strait weekend passenger charter flights and the entry of more Chinese tourists to Taiwan from mid-July. The next round of negotiations are projected to be held in late October or early November in Taiwan.
"Both sides are willing to further advance bilateral ties in a pragmatic manner, and consensus on relevant issues should be reached before the end of this year to help lay a solid foundation to better cement two-way exchanges," Lai said.
According to MAC Vice Chairman Fu Dong-cheng, the opening of direct cargo charter flights and shipping links between the two sides -- issues set to be discussed in the coming talks -- should be settled "without difficulties" based on the common ground already forged between the two sides.
The two issues have been touched on in past bilateral talks and the chances are high that the two sides can finalize discussions and ink agreements on them in the coming negotiations, he told his British guests. (By Flor Wang) ENDITEM/J
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