Current political realities and the disagreement over Taipei's status vis-a-vis Beijing remain the most important issues on the agenda. According to Shi Hwei-yow, the renewal of contact between SEF and ARATS is a good beginning, but since the two sides agree that meetings will advance from exchanges to consultations, the one should not be made a precondition for the other, as it could create obstacles to the achievement of both.
政治現實與兩岸認知仍是最主要的關鍵，許惠祐認為，兩會交流只要動起來就是一個好的開始，但是兩岸既然有共識從交流進展到協商，就不應將交流與協商互為條件，否則將製造交流、協商的障礙。