The Chinese mainland announced a new package of policies to promote economic and trade relations across the Taiwan Straits on Saturday.

Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Works Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made it public at the end of the two-day Cross-Straits Economic and Trade Forum, as a further step the mainland has taken to boost cross-strait exchanges and cooperation in favor of Taiwan compatriots.

The package is comprised of three sets of policies directly stipulated by the State Council and 13 others formulated by relevant central government departments.

The three sets of State Council policies are as follows:

-- To add four species in a list of Taiwan-grown fruits, which currently have 18 species, for Taiwan exporters.

-- To adopt a zero-tax on imports of 11 kinds of vegetables produced by Taiwan farmers.

-- To allow more imports of Taiwan's aquatic products, with zero-tax on some of the products, and allow Taiwan fishing boats to enjoy equal policies as their mainland counterparts for selling their own products.

Under the other new policies, three more cross-straits agricultural cooperation pilot zones will be set up in the mainland cities of Foshan and Zhanjiang, in Guangdong Province, and Yulin, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Moreover, Zhangpu City, Fujian Province, and Qixia City, Shandong Province, will establish two hatching gardens for Taiwan farmers.

Secondly, the mainland's federation of supply and marketing cooperatives will help organize mainland farm-products dealers to visit Taiwan for group procurements, during the peak seasons of fruit harvest.

Thirdly, a special marketing center will be set up in Xiamen City, Fujian, bring convenience and reduce cost for Taiwan's fruit imports.

(Xinhua News Agency April 15, 2006)