February 20, 2000
The "Kinmen Accord" which has been suspended for nearly eight months and which stipulates the procedures for the repatriation of cross-Strait criminals, resumes to take effect in Matsu.
March 30,2000
Officials of the Mainland's "Taiwan Affairs Office" say that although cross-Strait talks have been cut off, the functions of cross-Strait exchanges, the care of Taiwanese businessmen, and the reception of Taiwanese visitors are still under the responsibility of the ARATS. Therefore the ARATS will not be scrapped in the short term.
June 2, 2000
Major adjustments in the organization of the Mainland's ARATS include: former ARATS Deputy Secretary General and Deputy Director of the General Affairs Bureau of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Li Yafei being promoted to Secretary General and Director, and former ARATS Secretary General and Director of the General Affairs Bureau of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Zhang Jincheng being promoted to ARATS Deputy Chairman.
July 19, 2000
Office of the President Secretary General Chang Chun-hsiung issues an urgent press release emphasizing that President Chen Shui-bian and the new administration will never have a secret envoy. At the same time, he reiterates that "non-institutionalized" secret envoys will never replace the "institutionalized" SEF and ARATS.
July 20, 2000
MAC Vice Chairperson Lin Chong-pin makes a three-point official statement: 1) secret envoys are something of the previons administration, on which the MAC will not comment; 2) the MAC affirms the functions of multiple contacts, but these contacts should be made within the institution and should be monitored by the democratic system; 3) the MAC believes that the SEF and the ARATS should revert as the official negotiations channels as soon as possible.
September 1, 2000
In an administrative report at the second half session of the Legislative Yuan, Premier Tang Fei points out that the most pressing matter in cross-Strait affairs is the realization of a "Koo-Wang meeting." TrackII- or even Track III encounters are not impossible under the establishment of a risk management mechanism.
September 8, 2000
Lienchiang County Police Bureau takes charge of the first repatriation of Mainland stowaways via direct transport from Matsu to the Guantou Port in Fujian Province in the Mainland. This is a major step toward simplified repatriation procedures in the future. The Mainland side refers to this bi-directional direct links as "port exchange", in the promotion of future repatriation procedures between local ports.