A senior Chinese mainland official called on Taiwan authorities
to facilitate negotiations on fruit exports to the mainland in
Beijing Friday.
Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist
Party of China (CPC)
Central Committee, urged the related Taiwan departments to promote
cross-Straits non-governmental trade organizations to negotiate on
selling Taiwan fruits in the Chinese mainland as soon as possible
so that the mainland could rescind import taxes of certain fruit
types at an early date.
Chen made the remarks during his meeting with a delegation
headed by Director of Kuomintang (KMT) party central policy
committee Tseng Yung-chuan, who came to the mainland on farm
produce cooperation issues. Members of the delegation are from the
KMT and the People First Party (PFP) in Taiwan.
KMT Chairman Lien Chan and PFP leader James Soong visited the
Chinese mainland earlier this year and respectively held talks with
Chinese President Hu Jintao. The mainland then decided to increase
the number of fruit types that could be exported from the island to
the mainland from 12 to 18 and 15 of them would be free of tax.
"As it is approaching Taiwan's fruit season, we hope the related
Taiwan departments to take a flexible and practical attitude to
promote cross-Straits talks on Taiwan's fruit sales in the mainland
for the sake of Taiwan farmers' welfare," Chen said, adding that he
appreciated the KMT and PFP for their efforts to facilitate and
implement the consensus reached in previous cross-Straits talks and
their work for Taiwan farmers' welfare.
He said more and more Taiwan compatriots had seen new
development vision of cross-Straits peace, stability and mutual
benefit from KMT and PFP leaders' mainland visits and they
cherished such relaxations in cross-Straits relations.
He hoped the people from all circles in the mainland and Taiwan
will take the opportunity to expand cooperation, achieve a win-win
situation and a bright prospect featuring constantly improving and
developing cross-Straits relations.
An official with the Taiwan Work Office also said they hoped KMT
and PFP could propel Taiwan authorities to "make reasonable
decisions" on Taiwan fruit exports to the mainland.
(Xinhua News Agency July 9, 2005)