TAIPEI, Taiwan — The policy-making Central Standing Committee of the ruling Nationalist Party today unanimously approved the lifting of a 38-year ban on visits by the people of Taiwan to China, a committee member said.
The member, who requested anonymity, said the resolution was referred to the Interior Ministry with a recommendation that the new policy be adopted and announced "at an early date," probably in a few days.
He said the 28 members at the meeting acted solely on humanitarian grounds to allow residents of Taiwan to visit relatives. Taiwan banned visits to China after the Communist takeover of the mainland in 1949.
No Objections
"Not a single member objected and none mentioned anything like political counteroffensive," he said.
The member said President Chiang Ching-kuo said at the end of the meeting that the change will have no effect on the government's "three-'no' policy"--no contact, no negotiation and no compromise at official levels. The policy prohibits direct trade with China, although indirect trade through third countries totaled $671 million in the first half of 1987.
