Direct links between Taiwan and China in transport, mail and trade are expected to top the agenda of cross-strait talks, once the two sides return to the negotiation table, a senior government adviser said yesterday.
And a leading economic official said Taiwan authorities were likely to have clearer instructions on a policy towards the mainland before the inauguration of President Lee Teng-hui on May 20.
Chao Yao-tung, a national policy adviser to the Presidential Office, said it was urgent to resolve economic issues between the two sides which had been affected by the cross-strait tensions.
Mr Chao said Taiwan businessmen could not afford to lose the opportunities which existed on the mainland.
If Taiwanese companies were not barred from investing directly in China, big investors would be more at ease doing business there, Mr Chao said.
'I believe the possibility of direct links is very large. Once the two sides resume exchanges, I think the first topic they discuss will be [that],' he said.
The adviser was speaking yesterday after a seminar on the prospect of cross-strait relations after the island's landmark direct presidential election.
