After he proposed defining direct links as simply "cross-strait" shipping and travel, the Taiwan stock market rose 500 points in a week. Meanwhile figures from across the social spectrum, including Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh and Acer Group chairman Stan Shih, opined that the government should make good use of this opportunity to open direct links.
「兩岸航線」之說提出後，台灣股市在二星期內大漲五百點，包括中研院院長李遠哲、宏電腦董事長施振榮在內的各界人士都認為兩岸直航的契機似已來臨，應該要善加把握。