Visit a forward move for cross-Straits relations

Chen Yunlin, president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), and his entourage arrive in Taipei today and will meet with Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), tomorrow for their second round of talks on cross-Straits relations and a full range of topics about exchanges and cooperation.

The two sides will also sign four agreements on cross-Straits flights, direct shipping routes, postal services, and food security and safety. Chen's trip to Taiwan on behalf of the mainland for talks on cross-Straits affairs is of guiding significance and represents another milestone in the history of the development of cross-Straits relations.

Since 1949, the cross-Straits relations have experienced talks as well as fights through six decades of vigorous tests. The establishment of the exchange protocol between the ARATS and the SEF in 1991 has become an indicator for gauging cross-Straits relations. The ARATS and the SEF have resumed talks since Ma Ying-jeou was elected to the island's top office, and the history of cross-Straits ties turned over a new chapter.