Taipei, Jan. 19 (CNA) Direct flights between Taiwan and China will serve Taiwan very well strategically as well as in terms of boosting the island's tourism industry, Australian's top representative in Taiwan, Steve Waters, said in an interview with CNA Wednesday.
Speaking on the potential impact of cross-strait direct-flights, Waters said: "One of the things Taiwan wants to do with (direct-flights) is develop its tourism industry. You can package your tourism so people will come here and China at the same time and do a comparison."
It's something that, strategically, will serve Taiwan very well as people get to compare the level of democracy and freedom between the two sides, he said.
The same thinking can be applied to the opening of Taiwan to more foreign investment, Waters said. More foreign investment in Taiwan means more countries will need to look after their interests in Taiwan if something happens, he said.
And the Australia government always pays attention to the cross-strait relationship and "doesn't want to see Taiwan being 'squeezed' in any way, whether it be economically or militarily, " Waters said. "We would like to see a dialogue between the two governments."
Waters, who has been Australia's top envoy in Taiwan since July 2005, said the Australian government pays close attention to the cross-strait relationship because the Taiwan Strait is still one of the three main flash points in the world, along with the Korean Peninsula and the Middle East.
The state of cross-strait relations has an impact on the stability of East Asia, where five of Australia's top 10 trading partners are located -- namely Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, he said.
"Our future is tied to this region, " Waters noted.