Mainland confirms SEF canceling planned cross-Strait meeting

A Chinese mainland spokesman on Wednesday confirmed that Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) had canceled a scheduled cross-Strait meeting for "reasons from the Taiwan side."

Chief officials of the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and SEF had planned to meet last week in Xiamen, Fujian Province, said An Fengshan, the spokesman with the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a regular press conference.

"We would not like to see normal exchanges between ARATS and SEF obstructed," An said, in response to a question on whether the incident means the end of ARATS-SEF talks.

He reiterated that negotiations and regular meetings between the two organizations have contributed to peace and development of cross-Strait ties since 2008.

ARATS and SEF have been entrusted by authorities to engage in regular talks since the early 1990s. After a suspension of ten years, they resumed their talks in 2008 based on the 1992 Consensus that agrees the mainland and Taiwan belong to China and their relations are not nation to nation.

The two sides have signed 23 deals in 11 rounds of talks, such as lifting bans on direct shipping, air transport and postal services and an overall economic cooperation pact.

Commenting on a draft regulation on supervising cross-Strait agreements put forward by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party Tuesday, An said the mainland opposes any move that undermines the foundation of talks on cross-Strait agreements, disturbs the proceeding of talks and intentionally obstructs peace and development of cross-Strait ties. Endi