The mainland will continue to create a better investment
environment for Taiwan compatriots and protect their legal rights
by "resolutely overcoming bureaucratic difficulties and domestic
protectionism", Beijing's top cross-Taiwan Straits ties official
has said.
"Taiwan enterprises are spread over 31 provinces, municipalities
and autonomous regions on the mainland with investments in a wide
range of fields," the head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the
State Council, Chen Yunlin, told the National People's Congress
Standing Committee yesterday.
"Most of them are on a sound development track," Taiwan
compatriots' investments have contributed a lot to the fast
industrial and economic growth of the mainland, Chen said.
He attributed the fast development of Taiwan enterprises to a
series of proactive investment policies adopted by the State
Council and local governments on the mainland.
The cross-Straits trade volume surged to more than $107 billion
last year, with the mainland becoming Taiwan's biggest trade
partner, largest export destination and major source of trade
surplus, Chen said.
By the end of last year, the mainland authorities had approved
more than 71,000 Taiwan investment projects with an actual
investment of $44 billion.
Also, the mainland authorities have redressed a large number of
complaints from the Taiwan compatriots. In fact, about 86 percent
of the more than 10,000 complaints have been redressed since
2002.
A few problems, however, persist because some local governments
and departments fail to provide the promised services to the Taiwan
compatriots, Chen said.
"They don't realize the importance of protecting the legal
interests of the Taiwan compatriots, and instead only pay attention
to the money, not the service and protection," he said.
The constraints in Taiwan authorities' economic policy, too, are
harming cross-Straits investors' interests, Chen said.
Chen urged local governments to become more aware and protect
Taiwan investors' legal rights and try to "nip problems in the
bud".
(China Daily April 25, 2007)