Taipei, March 27, 2008 (CENS)--Taiwan`s newly elected President Ma Ying-jeou said he would engage in direct transportation talks with the mainland China government as soon as he assumes the presidency on May 20. Such talks will be centered on opening up direct transportation and further liberalization of mainland tourists coming to Taiwan.

Other issues to be covered in the cross-strait talks are trade normalization, investment protection, intellectual-property protection, and commodity standardization, reopening a chapter in cross-strait negotiations.

The newly-elected president Ma promises, during his four-year term, not to negotiate with the mainland government regarding reunification, backing Taiwan independence, and violent resolution of the long-standing cross-strait stalemate.

The plan initiated by the Ma camp proposes cross-strait direct air links to operate out of Taipei Songshan Airport, Taoyuan International Airport, Taichung Airport, Kaohsiung International Airport, Hualien Airport, Taitung Airport, and Makung Airport; while the direct sea links would be enabled by ports in Keelung, Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Hualien, Putai of Chiayi, and Anping of Tainan.

Beginning from July 1, mainland tourists will be allowed to tour Taiwan. Initially, 3,000 mainland tourists will be allowed into Taiwan daily, or one million per year. In the mid to long term, the number of mainland tourists entering Taiwan would total three million per year.

Domestic firms currently are prohibited from investing over 40% of net worth in the mainland, which, Ma views as unrealistic, and said that such investment restrictions should be loosened, while only applied to key technologies.

(by Ben Shen)