New economic plans to spur cross-Straits ties

By Shan Juan (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-29 10:08

A slew of measures will be introduced to improve the economic development of the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, an official said yesterday.

Wang Yi, director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said large and quality enterprises from the mainland will be encouraged to visit Taiwan to seek business and investment opportunities.

"Officials and senior executives of big firms from the mainland have been visiting the island for some time. More such trips will be organized," he said.

Wang also called for cross-Straits cooperation in industries such as traditional Chinese herbal medicine, electronics, automobile and solar energy.

"Both sides will start exchanging information on telecom, semiconductor illumination and wind power," he said.

He added that up to September, seven to nine groups from the mainland will go to Taiwan to purchase a wide range of goods such as textiles, household appliances and agricultural products.

"More mainland tourists will be encouraged to visit Taiwan," Wang said, adding that as visitors from the mainland increase, the island "should improve its tour services".

He predicted that by the end of the year, a total of 600,000 people from the mainland will visit Taiwan. "Until now, 300,000 have visited the island."

Wang said the mainland was encouraging Taiwan enterprises to do business on the mainland.

"We are also trying to kick-start talks on a cross-Straits economic cooperation pact within the year," he said.

In another development, the political party bureau was established under the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office particularly to help facilitate and improve cross-Straits party communication, the taihainet.com reported yesterday.

Yang Yi, who was the chief of the office's press department, has been appointed the bureau's director.