Mainland, Taiwan negotiators review their achievements

Zheng Lizhong, vice president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), speaks at a press conference after the third review of the results from cross-Strait talks, in Taipei, Southeast China's Taiwan, Nov 30, 2015. ARATS and its Taiwan counterpart Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) held the third review of the results from the talks Monday. [Photo/Xinhua]

The agreements signed between the SEF and ARATS have led to real improvement in cross-Straits relations and people's well-being, she said.

According to an opinion poll conducted by Taiwan's mainland affairs department last month, about 82.5 percent of respondents acknowledged the progress of ARATS-SEF talks.

Shih pledged that the SEF will work harder to push forward the implementation of the current agreements in Taiwan and maintain steady cooperation with ARATS.

Both of them highlighted the historic meeting between Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore in early November and promised to capitalize on the momentum created by that meeting.

The ARATS and SEF have been entrusted by authorities to engage in regular cross-Straits talks since the early 1990s. After a suspension of 10 years, the two organizations resumed talks in 2008 and signed a number of key deals, such as lifting bans on direct shipping, air transport and poster services and an overall economic cooperation pact.

The agreements led to considerable changes across the Straits. Passenger flights between the two sides have increased from 36 per week in 2008 to 890, with the flight route greatly shortened.

Since the two sides lifted the ban on mainland tourists to Taiwan in 2008, 13 million mainland residents have been to the island.

Since mainland firms were allowed to invest in Taiwan in 2009, mainland investment in Taiwan has reached about $1.7 billion and created about 11,400 new jobs.