The Third Cross-Strait Economic and Cultural Forum concluded in Beijing on April 29, 2007. At the closing ceremony, officials from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Communications, the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China and the National Tourism Administration announced a total of 13 new policies designed to promote exchange and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait.

1. The mainland encourages Taiwan's universities to recruit students in the mainland to promote cross-strait educational exchange and cooperation. Relevant departments in the mainland will provide assistance to students willing to study in Taiwan.

2. To make it more convenient for Taiwan compatriots to travel between Taiwan and the mainland, three more cities—Guangzhou, Qingdao and Wuhan—are authorized to issue valid passes for Taiwan visitors entering the mainland as of May 15, 2007.

3. To further personnel exchanges, the mainland will make 15 qualification tests available to Taiwan professionals including those engaged in economics, accounting, health, computer technology and software and quality management, translators, auctioneers, licensed pharmacists, cotton quality inspectors, certified public valuers including gem valuers, real estate appraisers, real estate agents, cost engineers, registered consulting engineers and certified tax agents. Qualified professionals in Taiwan can apply for taking the tests to related authorities of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the mainland. Departments concerned are currently busy making preparations for the tests.

4. Taiwan enterprises are encouraged to directly invest in the construction and operation of ports and road projects on the mainland.

5. Taiwan shipping and road transportation companies are permitted to set up wholly owned agencies in shipping, container transportation, cargo storage, container yard management, international shipping management, non-vessel operating services, road transportation and automobile maintenance and joint ventures in international shipping agent services and road passenger transportation on the mainland.

The wholly owned agencies established by Taiwan-based companies can offer routine services for the ships owned or operated by their parent companies such as canvassing for cargo, issuing bills of lading, collecting payment for shipping and acting as shipping agents and signing service contracts.

The joint ventures involving Taiwan-based companies can offer services such as booking, loading and unloading containers, storage, issuing cargo receipts, colleting payment for shipping and other authorized services, maintaining containers and equipment, and contacting truck companies and signing transportation contracts with them.

6. Taiwan shipping companies engaged in direct passenger transportation between coastal cities in Fujian and Jinmen, Mazu and Penghu in Taiwan are given the permission to set up agencies in these cities and sell tickets. Shipping companies on both sides of the Taiwan Strait can have their revenues from the direct shipping service between the Fujian coast and Jinmen, Mazu and Penghu exempted from the business tax and the corporate income tax.

7. The mainland will facilitate the training of and the issuing of certificates to sailors and divers from Taiwan and exempt them from test and certificate fees.

8. Non-governmental professional organizations across the Taiwan Strait are encouraged to carry out technical cooperation in maritime rescue and salvage. The rescue teams on the mainland will be ready to assist with the emergency relief of natural disasters and accidents at the Taiwan Strait to safeguard life and protect the environment in collaboration with their Taiwan counterparts.

9. Chengdu, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Dalian and Guilin will become new destinations for non-stop chartered flights in addition to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xiamen. Airports in Tianjin, Fuzhou, Chongqing, Zhuhai, Shenyang, Qingdao and Guiyang are designated as alternate airports for non-stop chartered flights.

10. In case of emergency, Taiwan airplanes can land in the airports open to foreign airlines in the mainland by using the effective communication channels established between the civil aviation sectors across the Taiwan Strait. The mainland's civil aviation sector will provide safe, reliable, convenient and efficient services to Taiwan compatriots and civil aviation companies.

11. All Taiwan airlines offering non-stop chartered flights to the mainland are allowed to establish agencies or offices in mainland cities where the flights are available as of May 1, 2007.

12. The mainland will improve laws and regulations to encourage the civil aviation industries across the Taiwan Strait to expand their cooperation. They are allowed to collaborate in running airline companies, building airports, producing on-vehicle materials, purchasing aviation supplies and developing joint supply storehouses. They are expected to forge closer partnerships in airplane maintenance, cargo storage, ground handling agent services, marketing, business operations, code sharing, strategic alliance and network extension in the spirit of carrying out broad, multi-channel, all dimensional and intensive cooperation.

13. The five colleges under the patronage of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China will cooperate with colleges and companies in Taiwan to jointly train personnel for the civil aviation industry. Taiwan students are welcome to study in the mainland's civil aviation schools. Aircraft maintenance technicians and students from Taiwan are allowed to apply for mainland licenses and encouraged to work in the mainland.

(China.org.cn)