Taiwan

Mainland's Taiwan affairs chief hails economic pact

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-06-30 01:57
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CHONGQING - The Chinese mainland's Taiwan affairs chief, Wang Yi, hailed the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between the mainland and Taiwan Tuesday as a "milestone" in the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

Wang, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks here when meeting with Chiang Pin-kung, Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman.

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During Tuesday's talks, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's SEF, both of which are authorized to handle cross-Strait issues, signed the ECFA and an agreement on intellectual property rights protection.

The signing of the ECFA would help both sides improve economic competitiveness, improve people's welfare, promote the common interests of the Chinese nation, jointly embrace the opportunities and tackle the challenges brought about by regional economic integration, said Wang.

The mainland is accelerating adjustment of its economic growth mode and Taiwan is upgrading its industrial structure. "The ECFA will facilitate the two sides to adjust industrial structures, improve efficiency in the allocation of economic resources, and improve their edges in international competition," he said.

The pact would also cut the cost in the flows of materials, personnel and capital across the Taiwan Strait and enable people to enjoy improved commodities and services at lower prices, he said.

"In retrospect, experience from the negotiations (of the ECFA) in the past half year told us the two sides should conduct negotiations on an equal footing and through well-meaning interactions, and tackle the easy first and difficult later so as to expand cooperation and jointly make new achievements," he added.