SEF signals goodwill to China, assigns personnel to Kinmen

Taipei, July 20 (CNA) Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) on Saturday announced it will assign personnel to work at a local service center in outlying Kinmen County to promote cross-strait ties.

"(This move) signifies that the government is 100 percent committed to promoting healthy cross-strait exchanges in both directions," said SEF Vice Chairman and Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) at a service inauguration ceremony.

Starting Saturday, Luo explained, personnel from the SEF will be stationed at a local service center in Kinmen dedicated to handling ferry-related services between Taiwan's Kinmen and the nearby Chinese coastal city of Xiamen.

Cross-strait ferry services, part of the "mini-three links" that cover direct trade, postal and transportation exchanges between limited administrative areas of both sides, was resumed in January 2023 after a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19.

Supervised by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, the SEF is a semiofficial organization set up by Taiwan to handle technical matters with China.

"Resuming equal and reciprocal cross-strait exchanges has always been a policy promoted by the Taiwanese government," Luo said, citing his planned attendance at the Xiamen-Kinmen relay swimming contest scheduled for Sunday as an example.

Luo said he hopes that the SEF's new operations could encourage a positive response from China, adding that "if goodwill continues to be extended but remains unanswered, it would be a pity if the opportunity is missed."

Luo also commented on China's detention of a non-commissioned Taiwanese officer earlier this year, saying he expects the serviceman's safe return.

The 25-year-old officer, who was part of the Kinmen Garrison Brigade, was rescued by the Chinese coast guard after drifting into Chinese waters off Fujian Province during a fishing trip in March. He has since been held due to his "sensitive status" as an active-duty soldier.

On June 26, China's Taiwan Affairs Office stated that the officer is in good health, adding that "related issues will be properly handled by the relevant departments."