Beijing on Wednesday renewed its call for cross-Straits talks to
facilitate the tariff-free import of Taiwan's agricultural and
aquatic products.
"There is an urgent need for consultation between
non-governmental bodies across the Straits for direct shipment of
agricultural goods from Taiwan to the Chinese mainland at an early
date," said Liu Junchuan, deputy director of the Economic Affairs
Bureau of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
Taipei has been reluctant to cooperate with the
Chinese mainland in relation to preferential policies for
Taiwan farmers.
Liu told a press conference that Beijing's call for such talks
shows its "kindness" and "sincerity" in wanting to improve
bilateral ties despite the fact that it could have unilaterally
implemented the policies.
On April 15, Beijing announced that it would allow the
tariff-free import of 11 Taiwan vegetables and eight varieties of
aquatic products.
Since August 1 last year, 15 Taiwan-grown fruits including
pineapples, lychees, papayas, starfruit and mangoes have been
exported tariff-free to the Chinese mainland.
These goodwill gestures, however, have been billed by the
island's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration
as a "united front" strategy aimed at wooing farmers in rural
southern Taiwan, a key support base for the pro-independence
party.
The DPP administration has yet to authorize non-government
organizations from the island to talk with their
Chinese mainland counterparts on how to implement the
preferential policies.
The DPP's unwillingness to develop closer ties with the
Chinese mainland was reinforced when its lawmakers on Tuesday
blocked an opposition attempt to vote on a bill to establish direct
transport links across the Straits.
The bill proposed by the Kuomintang and People First Party calls
for a removal of the ban on direct cross-Straits transport links
imposed by Taipei in 1949.
The lack of direct air and shipping links between Taiwan and the
Chinese mainland incurs an estimated economic loss of more
than US$1 billion annually for Taiwan and has contributed a lot to
its economic woes.
Customs figures show that the Chinese mainland imported
more than 2,310 tons of fruit worth US$2.9 million from Taiwan
between August 1 last year and April 30, 2006, with more than 3.9
million yuan (US$488,000) in tariffs exempted.
Also yesterday, Li Weiyi, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs
Office, asked Taipei to facilitate visits of Chinese mainland
tourist groups to the island.
(China Daily May 18, 2006)