Cross-Strait Agricultural Cooperation Forum to be held in Hainan

The Cross-Strait Agricultural Cooperation Forum will be held from Oct. 17 to 18 in Bo'ao, Hainan Province, said Li Weiyi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Wednesday.

Li said the forum could not be convened in Taiwan as originally planned as authorities on the island would not allow mainland delegates to attend.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Kuomintang (KMT) Party had been working together to make the forum happen in Taiwan.

"We have accepted the suggestion by the KMT Party to hold a series of cross-Strait agricultural cooperation activities on the mainland," said Li.

These activities include the forum on cross-Strait agriculture cooperation which will be held from Oct. 17 to 18 in Bo'ao, Hainan Province and an exhibition on cross-Strait agricultural cooperation achievements, which will be held in Xiamen, Fujian Province on Oct. 19. Taiwan delegates will also be invited to inspect some pilot agricultural projects in Shandong, Guangdong and Guangxi.

Li condemned Taiwan authorities for again putting obstacles in the way of cross-Strait economic and trade exchanges, saying that currently more than 2,200 kinds of mainland commodities are forbidden to enter Taiwan. Mainland enterprises are also prohibited from investing or running businesses in Taiwan.

"The discriminatory practices of Taiwan authorities have become the leading obstacles hindering the cross-Strait economy and trade and were questioned by members of the World Trade Organization," said Li.

"We hope the Taiwan authorities will lift the discriminating restrictions as soon as possible and allow non-governmental organizations across the Taiwan Strait to negotiate on economic and trade cooperation, so as to finally normalize cross-Strait trade", he said.

Source: Xinhua