Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Lin Join-sane says that his organization still has an important role to play in cross-strait relations. He was speaking at the legislature on Monday while the Internal Affairs Committee prepared to discuss reactivating the SEF’s frozen budget.
The semi-official SEF has long been charged with handling exchanges with China in the absence of official ties. But with thawing cross-strait ties, the government’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has played a larger role in relations.
Lin said that the SEF and its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), continue to hold high-level talks and sign agreements. He said the SEF works to help Taiwanese firms solve problems they face when doing business in China. He said the foundation handles about 400,000 cases on behalf of Taiwanese companies each year, offering everything from documents to legal advice.
Lin said he welcomes increased contact between the MAC and its Chinese counterpart, the Taiwan Affairs Office. However, he said that it will take time before Taiwan and the Mainland can set up a channel for direct government-to-government talks. He said that in the interim, the semi-official SEF will continue to play an important role in facilitating negotiations and exchanges between the two sides.