国内英语新闻:Grassroots cross-Strait forum opens in mainland with 10,000 expected Taiwanese guests

In 2008, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) resumed talks following a nine-year suspension.

A high-level platform for policy negotiations across the Strait, the ARATS-SEF talks resulted in the signing of twelve agreements. The shared aspiration for direct air links, shipping services and mail services across the Strait was achieved at the end of 2008.

Wang said though the goal of "three direct links" has been achieved, the mainland and Taiwan still need to work for closer interaction between the people on both sides of the Strait so they will feel increasingly connected to each other.

New Party chairman Yok Mu-ming said exchanges across the Strait should be carried out on a regular basis as water should be kept flowing lest it become stagnant