The first meeting of the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Committee (ECC) will be held in Taipei in the week starting on Feb. 21 for three days, according to sources familiar with cross-strait affairs.
The sources said the committee, formed under the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), will discuss topics such as allowing economic and industry groups in Taiwan and China to set up offices in each other’s countries.
Following the meeting format of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), the committee will hold talks one day after Chinese delegates arrive and before they return to China, the sources said.
The ECC meeting was initially scheduled to take place in Beijing, but was moved to Taipei because of a major political conference that will be held in Beijing next month.
ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) is expected to lead a delegation to visit Taiwan at the end of this month for a string of exchange activities.
Since Chen’s visit would have overlapped with the ECC meeting, which will be attended by ARATS staff, both sides decided to move the venue to Taipei.
Chen’s delegation was scheduled to arrive in Taiwan on Feb. 23.
The sources said the biannual institutionalized meeting between SEF and ARATS leaders might be held just once this year.
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