SEF praises progress on cross-Straits relations
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Chiang Pin-kung, Taiwan's chief negotiator on cross-Straits issues, Tuesday praised the stable development of relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan and the advancement of the cross-Straits institutionalized negotiating mechanism.
"Taiwanese businessmen started investing on the mainland more than 20 years ago and many of them are really successful, boosting Taiwan's exports to the mainland and contributing to the mainland' s rapid economic growth," said Chiang, who is the chairman of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), which is authorized to handle cross-Strait affairs on behalf of the government.
He made the statement during a Lunar New Year party held in Taipei for Taiwanese businessmen investing on the mainland. Official statistics show that cross-Straits trade volume exceeded 150 billion U.S. dollars last year, with the surplus on the Taiwan side reaching 77.2 billion U.S. dollars, which contributed greatly to the island's economic growth.
Chiang said that mainland tourists played a key role in enhancing Taiwan's tourism industry. He added that with about 4,000 mainland tourists visiting the island each day this year, an increase from 3,000 last year, Taiwan's economy would continue to benefit.
He said cooperation in the financial sector also progressed, with several banks from both sides establishing branches on each side of the Strait. The cooperation is mainly for providing financial services for enterprises of both sides.
Chiang also said that the early harvest program under the cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), which was signed last June, had promoted competitiveness of Taiwan products in the mainland market. Under the early harvest program, the mainland reduced tariffs on 539 Taiwanese goods while Taiwan dropped duties on 267 mainland goods. Within two years, the duties on the products will be reduced to zero.
"During the Lunar New Year holiday, both sides continued negotiations, and good result will be shown soon," he said, adding that discussions on cross-Straits investment protection agreements would be a major topic during the next round of cross-Straits talks in March. The talks aim to further protect the interests of Taiwanese businessmen.
The island's leader Ma Ying-jeou also attended a party Tuesday evening for Taiwanese businessmen on the mainland in celebration of the Lunar New Year.
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