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Taiwan chief negotiator arrives in Nanjing for talks with China

ROC Central News Agency

2009/04/25 13:19:53

Nanjing, April 25 (CNA) Taiwan's chief negotiator with China, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung, arrived in Nanjing Saturday morning on a mission to seal three agreements and one joint statement with China.

The highlight of Chiang's visit will be a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) President Chen Yunlin, slated for Sunday in the Chinese city.

The two sides are expected to sign agreements on the launch of regular cross-strait passenger flights, cross-strait cooperation to fight crime, mutual judicial assistance, and financial cooperation.

A joint statement on a proposal to open Taiwan to Chinese investment will also be released at that time.

Representatives of the SEF and ARATS are set to hold a preparatory meeting later Saturday to finalize the texts of the agreements and the joint statement.

Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan, who was at Taiwan Taoyuan Airport to see off Chiang and his delegation, promised that the SEF's negotiations with ARATS will be conducted in accordance with the principles of equality and dignity, and will prioritize the interests of Taiwan and its people.

According to Lai, a survey conducted recently by the MAC found that more than 60 percent of respondents think the Chiang-Chen meeting will be helpful to the normalization of cross-strait trade and economic ties.

"With the support of the public, I believe the upcoming Chiang-Chen meeting will produce very fruitful results and help create a mutually beneficial win-win situation across the strait, " she said.

During his talks with Chen, Chiang is also likely to officially raise a proposal for Taiwan and China to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA).

The SEF and ARATS are intermediary bodies set up by Taiwan and China, respectively, to handle cross-strait affairs in the absence of official ties.

The upcoming Chiang-Chen meeting will be the third of its kind since the resumption of cross-strait dialogue less than one year ago following a nine-year hiatus. It signifies continued warming of relations between the two former rivals since the inauguration of President Ma Ying-jeou, whose administration has made it a priority to ease tensions and improve relations with China.

In their first meeting held in June 2008 in Beijing, Chiang and Chen signed agreements on the launch of weekend cross-strait passenger charter flights and the admission of larger numbers of Chinese tourists to Taiwan.

Their second meeting took place in November in Taipei, during which they signed agreements on expanding the weekend passenger charter services to become daily services, opening cargo charter services, direct cross-strait shipping and postal services, and improving food safety.

During this latest China trip, Chiang will also visit Taiwanese businesses in Yangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai before returning to Taiwan April 29.

(By Chiang Chin-yeh and Y.F. Low) ENDITEM /pc