The honorary chairman of Taiwan's ruling Nationalist Party Lien Chan (2nd R) and his wife Lien Fang-yu (L) attend a banquet on the eve of the direct exchanges of shipping services across the strait in Tianjin, northern China December 14, 2008. A Chinese mainland official said on Friday that the mainland is ready to launch a direct postal service across the Taiwan Straits slated for next Monday. The direct postal service would end a situation that has prevailed since 1949, under which air, sea and postal movements between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan have gone through a third place, Xinhua reported. REUTERS/Jason Lee (CHINA)