The Chinese mainland will take more active and practical measures to realize the "direct link" in post and telecommunications across the Taiwan Straits, said an official with the Ministry of Information Industry (MII) Sunday.

These are part of the measures to realize the "Three Direct Links" in mail, transport and trade so as to boost cross-Straits cooperation and reunify the country at an early date, said the official of the ministry's Hong Kong-Macao-Taiwan affairs office.

Thanks to efforts made by departments on both sides, some cross-Straits postal and telecommunications businesses had been launched.

Last year, mail sent between the two sides totaled 9.83 million tons, 320 percent higher than 1989.

Since 1989, phone calls made by mainlanders to Taiwan have increased by 10 percent every year, totaling 340 million minutes and ranking second for calls made by mainlanders to overseas last year.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's phone calls to the mainland also accounted for 30 percent of its calls to overseas, ranking first in its overseas business. Telecommunications companies were allowed to offer cross-Straits teleconference services at the beginning of this year.

Despite achievements made so far, many problems still exist in realizing direct mail, because without direct transport, postal packages have to be delivered via Hong Kong or Macao. "High mail transportation cost, slow delivery speed and lack of business has caused the current mail business to fall short of public demands."

The mainland, he said, has taken solid steps to realize direct mail exchange and telecommunications.

As early as in February 1979, the mainland opened a telegraph business to Taiwan and long-distance call one month later.

Moreover, China's former President Jiang Zemin put forward the Eight-Point Proposals on China's reunification in January 1995. The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPT), MII's predecessor, also advanced five policy proposals on opening direct mail and telecommunications services.

The Taiwan authorities should, stressed the official, stop politicizing the issue of "Three Direct Links" as there are no technical barriers in realizing the goal of direct links in mail, transportation and trade.

"We hope to conduct direct talks with our Taiwan counterparts on details of direct mail and look forward to further cooperation between telecommunications companies on the two sides,"

(Xinhua News Agency December 22, 2003)