A communique issued after a summit between General Secretary Hu Jintao of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chairman Lien Chan of the Chinese Kuomintang ( KMT) party says that the two parties will promote an overall economic and trade cooperation across the Taiwan Straits, including the overall, direct and two-way "Three Links".

The idea of the so-call "Three Links" came up on January 1, 1979, when the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, published a proposal to the Taiwan compatriots, calling for opening up direct transport, trade and mail services across the Taiwan Straits.

Over the past two decades, certain progress has been made in opening up the "Three Links" across the Straits.

In 1979, the mainland began providing mail, telegraph and telephone services to Taiwan, and in 1996, telecommunications service providers from the two sides jointly established direct services. Currently, cross-Straits services are the second largest for the mainland and the largest for the island province.

In 1997, the cities of Fuzhou and Xiamen of the mainland, and the city of Kaohsiong of Taiwan, operated trial, direct sails across the Straits. In 2001, Kimmen and Mazu islands of Taiwan, and the coastal areas in Fujian Province opened passenger and cargo shipments. In 2003 and 2005, respectively, Taiwan business people in the mainland went back home by direct charter flights.

Since the mainland opened up its market to Taiwan products in 1979, the cross-Straits trade has increased from 46 million US dollars in 1978 to 70 billion US dollars in 2004. Currently, the mainland is the largest export market for Taiwan.

Since 1993, the mainland has been the most attractive destination for Taiwan investment. Between 1995 and 2004, the mainland has received 31.18 billion US dollars in direct investment from Taiwan.