2003年底，台灣海峽兩岸分別提出了各自對兩岸通航的立場及主張，台灣公布了對「兩岸直航之影響評估」報告，陳水扁總統並拋出了「兩岸直航三階段」的時間表。緊接著大陸也正式提出了要求由兩岸民間行業組織協商「三通」問題的主張。由兩岸的這些宣示看來，兩岸通航協商似乎近在咫尺，但兩岸的實際行動卻仍未見展開。其關鍵問題在於兩岸通航的本質，讓原應為經濟問題的通航問題難脫兩岸之政治考量。加以未來兩岸通航之協商方式遲遲未能達成共識，致通航問題在兩岸頻頻喊話之下，仍無進展。惟在兩岸龐大的運輸需求下，兩岸間之直航已成為一個亟待處理及解決的問題。為瞭解兩岸通航遲遲未能突破的原因，本研究首先分析影響兩岸通航的因素，繼而探討兩岸未來進行通航協商所將面臨的問題，藉以歸納通航協商之議題及可能的協商方式。由於兩岸在海運方面的互動及交流較空運密切，且兩岸在海運方面所提的通航改善措施也較多，因此本文是以兩岸間的海運通航作為研究的對象，期望能透過研究的發現與結果，提供各界作為未來兩岸通航發展的觀察與判斷。

By the end of 2003, the Governments across the Straits brought up their stance and position on direct transport respectively. Taiwan released "Assessment of the Impact of Direct Cross-Strait Transportation" on August 15, 2003. In addition, Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian proposed the "three phases of the cross-Straits direct transportation" as a timetable for direct transport. Immediately after that, the mainland China also released a white paper on direct transport on December 17, 2003 and claimed that consultation of direct transport might be conducted by non-governmental organization from both sides. From above announcements, it seems that the negotiation of direct transport is within a stone's throw. However, either side has not taken any actual actions yet. The key problems of cross-Straits direct transport falls on its nature. The cross-Straits direct transport should be a matter of economic issues, however, it is hard to avert from political considerations. Currently the mode of negotiation on the cross-Straits direct shipping has not been reached consensus yet. Under the huge need of transportation, the shipping across the Straits has been the problem to be dealt and resolved urgently. The purpose of this paper tries to examine and explore above issues. First of all, this paper will analyze the factors affected direct shipping across the Straits. Furthermore the key problems on negotiation of the cross-Straits direct shipping shall be examined. Finally, this paper tries to summarize the agenda of negotiation and feasible mode of negotiation. This paper focuses sea transport because the cross-Straits interaction of sea transport is closer than air transport and the improved measures of sea transport are more than air transport. This paper also expects that the finding and results of this paper may provide a reference for observation and appraisal on cross-Straits direct shipping in the future.