Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/18
By: Chen Chia-lun and Lilian Wu

Taipei, March 18 (CNA) Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said on Friday the head of the foundation is still planning to visit mainland China despite misgivings about cross-strait exchanges after Beijing announced its reestablishment of diplomatic ties with The Gambia a day earlier.

SEF Chairman Lin Join-sane (林中森) is still scheduled to make a 10-day visit to the mainland in early April, the semi-official body set up to handle exchanges in the absence of official ties said.

Lin’s itinerary was put forward to its counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), three days ago. It has yet to receive a response from the association, but there should be no changes, the SEF said.

Lin is scheduled to travel to the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen and take part in the activities involving Taiwanese businessmen there, while the ARATS is expected to send officials to accompany Lin based on past practice, according to the SEF.

Whether there will be changes on the part of the mainland remains to be seen, but Lin’s visit is still being planned, it added.     [FULL  STORY]