Editing Three Links (section)

===Lead-up to liberalization===
{{see also|Cross-straits relations}}
While the PRC and ROC agreed in principle on opening the Three Links, there were overriding concerns. According to the [[Mainland Affairs Council]] (MAC) of the ROC, the major obstacle resided in the PRC's [[One China|One-China]] position which does not recognize the sovereignty of the ROC. The Council stated that the Three links would only be considered when the PRC stopped its animosity against ROC sovereignty and improved the [[cross-strait relations]]hip.<ref>{{citation | url = http://www.mac.gov.tw/big5/economy/8810.htm | title = 兩岸「三通」政策說明 | publisher = Mainland Affairs Council | place = Formosa}}.</ref> The [[Government of China|PRC government]] considers the cross-strait flights as domestic flights, according to the [[One China Policy]]. However, the ROC's Democratic Progressive Party government in Taiwan regarded this position the same as recognizing Taiwan (ROC) as a part of the PRC and thus would compromise the ROC sovereignty.

The previous administration led by President [[Chen Shui-bian]], who was in power from 2000 to 2008, was keen to establish direct links under his "four noes and one without" pledge. China reacted with caution however, and was eventually infuriated when Chen spoke of "[[One Country on Each Side|Taiwan and China on each side of the Taiwan Strait, each side is a country]]", and the Taiwanese administration believed establishment of the links would not be possible. However, China eventually shifted its position when it realized that the three links may be an opportunity to hold on to Taiwan, with its [[Ministry of Transport of the People's Republic of China|Minister of Transport]] and former [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] [[Qian Qichen]] declaring that the "one China" principle would no longer be necessary during talks to establish the links, which would be labelled merely as "special cross-strait flights" and not "international" nor "domestic" flights.<ref>{{citation | url = http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2008/06/20/2003415198 | newspaper = Taipei Times | title = Editorial | date = 2008-06-20}}.</ref>

In 2004, Beijing proposed a cross-strait [[controlled-access highway]] project linking [[Beijing]] to [[Taipei]] connecting the two sides of the [[Taiwan Straits]] together. However, due to the potential technical difficulties, some people in Taipei consider this move as political propaganda.<ref>{{citation | url = http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Front_Page/GA14Aa01.html | newspaper = The Standard | title = Mainland to triple highway network | place = Hong Kong | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071223090134/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Front_Page/GA14Aa01.html | archive-date = 2007-12-23 }}.</ref>

The Three Links are mentioned in the [[Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China]].