Beijing - Beijing opened the door to historic direct links with Taiwan yesterday by grudgingly accepting Taipei's plan for limited exchanges between its offshore islands and the mainland.
Taipei welcomed the news, which represents a rare sign of progress in ties across the Taiwan Strait that have been marked by acrimony and suspicion since the election this year of President Chen Shui-bian of Taiwan. Beijing has been pressing for full trade, transport and postal exchanges - the so-called "three links".
