The government last week eased restrictions on direct trade and remittances with China and lifted bans on the import of over 2,000 agricultural and industrial goods from across the Taiwan Strait.
The Board of Foreign Trade said on Friday that products bought and sold across the Strait would no longer have to pass through a third destination and could instead be shipped directly.
However it is unclear how the lifting of these bans will affect trade between Taiwan and China -- which is currently conducted indirectly, primarily through Hong Kong.
Both Beijing and Taipei have expressed their eagerness to establish direct links, but have been unable to get past agreeing on the preconditions for discussions, namely that Taiwan accepts Beijing's "one China" principle.
The board also said that imports of tuna, lobsters, onions, nuts, oyster sauce, fruit concentrates and beer along with a long list of industrial products, would be allowed. The lifting of the ban became effective last Friday, the board said.
Taiwan now allows the import of 7,946 industrial and agricultural products from China, or some 70 percent of Chinese export products.
Taipei said it would remove trade barriers with all WTO members, adding that the ban on trade with China would be removed in steps.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs said it would review the issue of Chinese imports every two months.
Also on Friday, the Ministry of Finance said banks in Taiwan and China will be allowed to make direct remittances, and funds no longer had to be transferred through banks via a third country.
The direct-remittance business, however, will be limited to currencies other than the New Taiwan dollar and the Chinese yuan, the ministry said. Previously, remittances between Taiwan and China had to be done in US dollars through a foreign bank.
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