Thereafter, on several occasions, Qian and other ranking PRC officials emphasized "separating economics and politics" in cross-strait issues. That is, direct links could proceed without the "one China" precondition. Instead, based on the model used for shipping and travel between Taiwan on one side and Hong Kong or Macao on the other, non-governmental actors could negotiate directly among themselves, with the government playing only a facilitating role.
之後在幾個不同場合，包括錢其琛等中共各階層又再度強調兩岸問題「政經分離」的立場，亦即三通不必在「一個中國」的前提下進行，可以比照台港、台澳航線模式，由民間業者自行談判，政府只需從旁協助即可。