Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and representatives from the related departments held talks with Kuomintang (KMT) delegation led by vice-chairman Chiang Pin-kung on March 30 at the Diaoyutai State Guest House.

The talks were focused on the promotion of the economic and trade exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Straits. At the night, Li Bingcai, deputy director of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Commerce, Customs General Administration, the State General Administration for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine, the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China and part of the KMT's delegation members attended the meeting.

Chen Yunlin said it is our consistent views to promote the economic exchanges and cooperation across the Straits in an extensive way. It is in accordance with the common happiness and benefits to strengthen cross-Straits economic and trade co-operation and to close the economic relations between the two sides of the Straits, which will also be favorable to the economic development of Taiwan. It has become an important factor for the across-Straits peace and stability to have a sustainable development in the economic and trade relations across the Straits under the common efforts of the across-Straits compatriots. The compatriots on the two sides of the Straits should join hands in creating a bright future for improving the relations and development across the Straits.

Chiang Pin-kung said the mutual benefits of the across-Straits economy and trade will contribute to easing the strained tension between the two sides of the Straits and are in line with the expectations of the across-Straits people, which is also beneficial to improving the competitiveness for Taiwan's economy. The two sides should strengthen the economic and trade exchanges as well as non-governmental intercourses practically.

During the talks, both sides exchanged views on strengthening the across-Straits economic and trade cooperation and the following initiative results have been achieved:

-- Strive for the realization of regular cross-Straits charter flights for "festivals" and "normality" with the expansion of travelers' scope so as to meet the demand of the broad Taiwan business people, students and the across-Straits airlines. The Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee welcomes KMT to continuously come to the mainland for talks and to actively facilitate the relevant Taiwan departments to agree to send non-governmental organizations here for talks. The cargo charter flights are linked with the vital interests of the Taiwan-funded enterprises in their investment on the mainland. The non-governmental industries across the Straits should be encouraged to have views exchanged in line with the principle of "mutual participation, cooperative management, benefits sharing and win-win".

-- Strengthen the across-Straits agricultural cooperation. The mainland side welcomes Taiwan farmers to the cooperative experimental zones of the across-Straits agriculture in the areas including Fujian, Hainan, Shandong, Heilongjiang, and Shaanxi for development. They will be offered with practical support and help and their legitimate right will be protected in accordance with the related laws.

-- The sale issue of Taiwanese agricultural products to the mainland concerns the vital interests of the broad Taiwan farmers, especially the farmers in the central and southern part of Taiwan who grow fruit and vegetable, which should be solved as soon as possible. The mainland side is planning to make preferential policies and convenient measures in customs, inspection and quarantine and logistics in order to solve the sale issue. KMT is welcome to the mainland for talks. And KMT is asked to actively facilitate the relevant Taiwan departments to agree to send non-governmental farmer organizations for talks with the relevant mainland non-governmental industries so that the issue concerning the sale of Taiwanese agricultural products to the mainland should be arranged as soon as possible.

-- It is an urgent need for Taiwan fishery circles to restore the cooperative businesses in fishing workers' exports to Taiwan. The non-governmental industries on the both sides of the Straits should be encouraged to hold talks as soon as possible on issues involving personal accident and medical insurance, risk guarantee money, wages, lawsuit system, ship-changing system, mutual notification mechanism, designating business firms, unified contracts, and onshore rest places for the mainland fishing workers. And the arrangement should be made as soon as possible.

-- Encourage and promote wider access to the cooperation in the across-Straits service industries including financing, insurance, transportation and medical treatment. The across-Straits research and decision-making for the information industrial standards should be strengthened to boost the in-depth development of across-Straits economic cooperation.

-- The mainland has worked out and implemented an investment protection law for Taiwan compatriots and a series of related laws, regulations and policies concerning how to implement the protection law have been enacted. The legitimate right of the mainland investment by Taiwan compatriots is protected in accordance with the related laws. It is advocated on the basis of mutual benefit that a non-governmental agreement on the protection of the legitimate right of investment by Taiwan compatriots will be discussed and signed.

-- Promote the county-county and town-town exchanges across the Straits with the establishment of a relative stability and long-term exchange mechanism. Regional cooperation should be enhanced, aiming at increasing exchanges, mutual help and common development.

-- Help send permanent correspondents by news media from the two sides as soon as possible through proper non-governmental negotiations in order to boost the across-Straits news exchanges.

-- Allow students from both sides to pay the same school charges and set up scholarship for Taiwan university students. The related departments are planning for this and striving for early implementation.

-- The mainland side gets to know that the tourism circles look forward to mainland tourists' visit to Taiwan and are actively making preparations for this. In the meantime it is in the hope that the Taiwan authorities should create necessary conditions for the goal.

-- The mainland side is planning more convenient measures for Taiwan compatriots to come to mainland on the existing basis.

-- Push forward common crackdown on crimes by both sides of the Straits.

The Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee wish the Taiwan authorities to cancel the restrictions to the economic, trade and cultural exchanges and personal intercourses across the Straits so as to benefit the development of the across-Straits relations.

The visiting KMT delegation arrived in Beijing on March 30. Li Bingcai, deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, and Long Xinmin, vice-secretary of the Beijing municipal committee of the Communist Party of China greeted the delegation at the airport. The Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee threw a banquet in honor of the visiting delegation led by Chiang Pin-kung at the evening.

By People's Daily Online