Officials with the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture recently held a press conference at which they expressed willingness to offer help for strengthening cooperation in agriculture between the two shores and expanding Taiwan produce's market in the mainland. Intentions were expressed to invite people in charge of agricultural associations at the provincial level as well as the county and city levels to the mainland so as to exchange ideas and discuss plans together. For those Taiwan farmer brothers who are worried about the marketing of their produce this news is, without doubt, a timely help. So it is no wonder that once the news was spread on the island it was received with ardent enthusiasm.

The Taiwan island produces a great variety of products with a refined and developed agriculture. It teems with high-quality tropical fruits, flowers and vegetables etc. However, since the island has a small market much of the produce depends on external trade.

The two shores share the same roots and origins with similar custom. Plus, they enjoy geographic convenience. The Chinese mainland is the most ideal market for Taiwan produce other than the island. The agricultural departments on the island have long viewed the mainland as a market with the most potentials. If only the markets of the coastal regions and main cities in the mainland had been opened the problems that have troubled the Taiwan agriculture would have disappeared long time ago. The mainland has a great demand for high-quality produce and the prospects are rather enticing.

Regrettably, as produce trade between the two sides grows each year the growth is limited due to various reasons and the total volume is small. This is despite the fact that the mainland has no special limitation on Taiwan produce entering the mainland market. According to competent departments in the mainland produce imported from Taiwan accounts for only about 1 percent of the mainland's total import of produce.

The mainland's effort and sincerity in driving economic and cultural exchanges between the two sides are known to all. In recent years the situation across the straits has been grim. However, the mainland has always been emphasizing that political differences will not interfere with people-to-people exchange and striving to seek benefits for the Taiwan public. The mainland is very concerned with the Taiwan farmers' situation. In the 5/17 Statement the mainland for the first time stated that it could help Taiwan produce to secure vast market in the mainland. In November the Taiwan Agricultural Exchange Delegation formed by people in charge of agricultural associations at the provincial as well as the county and city levels in Taiwan was received by the mainland government with high standards and achieved positive results. In January at the conference commemorating the 10th anniversary of the publishing of Jiang Zemin's eight-point proposal Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference), stressed again that the government would actively push ahead and strive to realize any effort at solving problems that concern the Taiwan compatriots such as the marketing of Taiwan produce in the mainland.

Although the competent departments in the mainland have adopted active measures and will speed up the research on specific measures to promote marketing of Taiwan produce in the mainland, the channel of transporting Taiwan produce to the mainland is hard to smooth out if the Taiwan authorities refuse to change its current passive policy in limiting produce trade between the two shores and to make effort at realizing "three direct links" between the two shores.

As long as one proceeds from the interests of the compatriots on both sides many things that seem complicated are actually very simple. Isn't it to the satisfaction of all if the Taiwan farmers have their money bags full and the compatriots in the mainland can enjoy delicious food?

This is a translation by People's Daily Online of an article carried on the first page of People's Daily Overseas Edition