Chinese mainland will effectively push forward direct trade with
Taiwan and construct a cooperative trade mechanism between the two
sides on the basis of a "one China" policy, said Commerce Minister
Chen Deming in Beijing on Saturday.
Chen said this year concrete efforts will be made to boost
economic cooperation between the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Hong
Kong and Macao, improve the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement
(CEPA) mechanism and step up the opening of service sectors.
CEPA was signed and revised by the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao
to strengthen economic ties.
Last year, the ministry further removed tariffs of Taiwan
agricultural products, exerted a more relaxed policy on small-scale
spot trade, and strengthened cross-Straits trade ties through
exhibitions, among other measures, to progress trade.
In the first 11 months of 2007, 2,993 Taiwan-funded projects,
with an actually utilized investment of 1.43 billion U.S. dollars,
were approved by the mainland. By the end of November, the mainland
had drawn some 45.33 billion U.S. dollars of cumulative direct
investments from Taiwan.
Statistics from the Taiwan authorities showed that, from January
to October, Taiwan traders invested a record 7.66 billion U.S.
dollars in the mainland. The full-year figure was expected to reach
10 billion U.S. dollars.
Taiwan merchants also showed more interest in the mainland's
comparatively undeveloped central and western areas. Western
provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, including
Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing, attracted far more investment from
Taiwan than previous.
Currently, the Chinese mainland remains Taiwan's largest export
market and the largest importer of Hong Kong products.
Trade volume between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland
increased 18.8 percent to 197.25 billion U.S. dollars. Between
Taiwan and the mainland, the figure was up 15.4 percent to 124.48
billion U.S. dollars in 2007, according to customs figures.
(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2008)