The joint proposals announced at the first forum of elites from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan call on closer agricultural ties between the two sides.

According to the proposals, the Chinese mainland will continue promoting the sale of Taiwan's agricultural products, recommend organizations to cooperate with Taiwan in agricultural production and sales and set up a transportation and sales mechanism for Taiwan's agricultural products.

The People First Party of Taiwan will actively push the realization of direct transportation by ferry and air in a bid to reduce costs.

Meanwhile, the proposals urge the establishment of a mechanism for cross-Straits agricultural exchanges and quarantine to ensure the sanitation and safety of food and drugs.

The two sides will join hands to protect intellectual property rights and crack down on the smuggling of agricultural products.

Moreover, the proposals note that whenever one side encounters a severe natural disaster, the other side should provide timely qualified agricultural products to meet the short-term market demands.

The proposals also stress joint maintenance and exploration of fishing resources and safeguarding the fishing rights and life and property security of fishermen of both sides.

Scientific research and exchanges are also encouraged by the proposals, including research on upgrades of animal and plant species, academic activities and skill training.

The two-day forum of elites opened Thursday and concluded here Friday. It attracted more than 120 scholars and businessmen from both sides of the Straits. They discussed issues such as the economic development of the Chinese mainland, Taiwan businessmen's investment in the mainland, direct air and shipping links across the Straits, the prospect of agricultural exchange and cooperation between the two sides, and improvement in cross-straits investment and trade during the forum.

Jointly sponsored by the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the policy research center of the PFP Central Committee, the forum is regarded as a major step in implementing the communique issued after the meeting between Hu Jintao, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and PFP Chairman James Soong in May.

Source: Xinhua