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To: DJBEINO who wrote (7141)	3/21/2000 10:36:00 AM
From: DJBEINO	Respond to of 9582

Taiwan drops 50-year-old direct trade ban with China In a surprise move, Taiwan's parliament on Tuesday lifted a five-decade-old ban on direct trade, transportation and postal links with China. The gesture, considered a goodwill move towards the mainland, was made by the Kuomintang-dominated Parliament. It comes just days after Saturday's election victory of the Democratic Progressive Party's Chen Shui-bian as Taiwan's new president. The lifting of the ban allows Taiwan's offshore islands of Quemoy, Matsu and Penghu to have linkages with the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Mawei. Legislator Lee Chu-Feng said: "This is a breakthrough for the current restrictions. This will be a bridge for future three links between Taiwan and the mainland." Analysts say the landmark move will boost confidence-building between Taipei and Beijing. They say other benefits include improved business links and lower cost of shipping goods to China. A KMT lawmaker indicated Taiwan does not intend to stop there. If the exercise is successful, it will be extended to the whole of Taiwan. Currently, trade, transportation and postal services to and from China are routed through Hong Kong, which is costly and time consuming. The new President-elect himself has set the establishment of "three links" with China as one of the main tasks he'll focus on to engage Beijing. With China having threatened to use military force if Taiwan formally announces its independence, both sides remain wary of each other and continue to monitor each other's military movements. Mr Chen's pro-independence DPP has just come forward to say it will debate a proposal to drop its call for independence; such calls have alarmed and enraged Beijing. Party officials say the party will propose dropping the clause "establish the Republic of Taiwan" from the DPP's platform during its Central Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday.