ARATS, SEF encouraged to set up cross-Straits office

BEIJING - A Chinese mainland spokesman on Wednesday expressed the hope that the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation(SEF) would start arrangements on establishing offices on each other's side at an early date.

Yang Yi, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the comments at a press conference in Beijing.

The purpose of setting up cross-Straits offices for the two organizations, entrusted to handle cross-Straits affairs, is to "serve people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait", said Yang.

"We hope the two organizations can complete their own planning at an early date and communicate and make further arrangements on this issue as soon as possible," he said.

The two organizations can start with easy things in establishing offices on each other's side, Yang said.

Yang also responded to a question concerning ARATS president Chen Yunlin's remarks expressing hope that authorities from the two sides of the Strait can make joint efforts on solving political issues.

"We will continue the progressive method of tackling the easy first and difficult later, further enhance cross-Straits economic cooperation, and expand cultural and educational exchanges," Yang said.

"We believe political issues will be faced sooner or later as they exist objectively," he added.

According to the spokesman, both sides of the Strait should look into the future, create conditions and cultivate consensus to at last crack political and military problems.