Taiwan is hoping to conclude its negotiations with China on a trade in goods agreement by the end of the year, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Lin Chu-chia (林祖嘉) said on Monday.
“We hope the negotiations can be completed by the end of the year to gain the best business opportunities for Taiwanese enterprises and enhance their competitive edge,” Lin said.
He also said the next round of meetings between MAC Minister Andrew Hsia (夏立言) and China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) is being arranged, and he hopes the meeting will take place soon.
The council will also push for the establishment of reciprocal representative offices by both sides to protect the rights and interests of Taiwanese in China, he said.
Looking ahead, the promotion of cross-strait trade cooperation and regional economic integration is to be a priority, Lin said.
Lin made the remarks at a meeting with Taiwanese businesspeople operating in China, which was sponsored by the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), a semi-official body that handles cross-strait affairs in the absence of official ties.
Also speaking at the meeting, SEF Chairman Lin Join-sane (林中森) said that after a meeting between Hsia and Zhang in China, he is planning to host China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chairman Chen Deming (陳德銘) in Taiwan at a convenient time.
The four issues scheduled to be on the agenda are the setting up reciprocal representative offices, signing a trade in goods agreement, as well as deals regarding dispute settlement and environmental protection, Lin Join-sane said.
Chen expressed his desire to visit places in Taiwan that he has not been to before.
Lin Join-sane responded by saying that they “will accommodate his wishes in this regard,” by arranging trips to Miaoli and Nantou.
Separately, Chen invited Taiwanese businesspeople to visit in the middle of this month the northwestern areas that are included in China’s “one belt, one road” initiative, a development strategy and framework that focuses on connectivity and cooperation among nations in Eurasia, Lin Join-sane said.
The initiative by Beijing has two main components, the land-based “silk road economic belt” and the oceangoing “maritime silk road.”
The trip will cover Shaanxi, Ningxia and Gansu, allowing Taiwanese businesspeople to learn about business opportunities there and assess the risks before making any moves, Lin Join-sane said.
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