Cross-strait relations under Ma off to good start

IN the two months since Ma Ying-jeou was inaugurated as president, much has changed in the cross-strait relationship -- in a positive direction. At the beginning of this month, nonstop weekly charter flights began, opening a new chapter in relations between the two sides, marked by hostility through much of the last 60 years. Although dubbed "weekend flights", they actually last from Friday to Monday. And the plan is to turn these into daily scheduled flights by next summer. Then, last week, a group of mainland tourists arrived, ushering in a new period of improved people-to-people relations, as mainlanders and Taiwanese get a chance to know each other better at first hand. Greater interaction, with up to 3,000 mainlanders arriving daily, should lead to better understanding and less suspicion. More agreements are in the... [read full story]