Taiwan looks forward to Chen Yunlin´s visit

Taiwan is looking forward to the Chairman of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, Chen Yunlin, to visit the island this year.

The information came from a meeting of the Taiwan legislative body attended by Taiwan's mainland affairs chief Lai Shin-yuan, and Chiang Pin-kun, chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation.

Lai Shin-yuan says communication and exchange between the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, or ARATS, and the Straits Exchange Foundation, or SEF, is considered an index of cross straits relations.

She says the achievement of the first meeting between the new leaders of the two organizations went beyond the two agreements they signed. She says the leaders sitting face-to-face helped set up the channel for normalized exchanges and dialogue mechanism. Chen Yunlin, chairman of ARATS, has accepted the invitation issued by his Taiwan counterpart Chiang Pin-kun to visit the island in the future.

Lai Shin-yuan thinks the second meeting between Chen and Chiang will happen before the end of this year. The meeting will help cement the foundation for exchanges between the ARATS and SEF. The two organizations will continue to focus on issues of concern to people on both sides of the strait.

Concerning mainland visits by Taiwan mayors, Lai Shin-yuan says her department is considering cutting the limits. She says the Mayor of Taichong City may visit the mainland on July 4th, the first day of the planned weekend charter flights. Lai also says her department is ready to do more to facilitate the development of cross straits ties.