Full text of joint proposal from China-Taiwan economic, cultural forum
LENGTH: 2026 words
Text of report by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency); subheadings as received
Shanghai, 21 Dec (Xinhua) - The Fourth Cross-Strait Economic, Trade, and Cultural Forum, co-hosted by the Cross-Strait Relations Research Centre of the CCP Central Committee Taiwan Work Office and the National Policy Foundation of the Chinese Kuomintang, took place in Shanghai from 20 to 21 December 2008. The theme of this Forum is the expansion and deepening of cross-Strait economic exchange and cooperation. The participants engaged themselves in extensive and in-depth discussions on three agenda items, namely, broadening cross-Strait cooperation in financial and service sectors, promoting two-way cross-Strait investment, and building a mechanism of cross-Strait economic exchange and cooperation. Jia Qinglin, member of the Standing Committee of the CCP Central Committee Political Bureau, and Chinese Kuomintang Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung [Wu Boxiong] and Honorary Chairman Lien Chan [Lian Zhan] attended the Forum and delivered speeches. The event was attended by more than 400 participants, including persons in charge of the relevant departments of both the Kuomintang and the CCP, persons in charge of other political parties in Taiwan, personages from economic and other communities on both sides of the Strait, and experts and scholars. Personages from the economic and financial authorities on both sides attended the Forum as guests of honour and invited experts.
The Forum was of the view that since May this year, a historic opportunity had emerged for the peaceful development of the cross-Strait relations. Thanks to the common yearning of the people on both sides and the joint efforts of both sides, cross-Strait consultations were able to resume and achieve important outcomes. A range of people-friendly and people-benefiting measures were implemented one after another. Nevertheless, given the complexity of cross-Strait affairs, there is a plethora of issues pending solution, each with a different value of importance and urgency. They call for strengthened dialogue, closer communication, and greater consensus between various communities on the two sides. Under these new
circumstances, the context in which to hold the Cross-Strait Economic, Trade, and Cultural Forum was more favourable than before and any consensus reached would be in a better position than before to serve as reference for policy-making by the two sides. The Forum ought to become an important vehicle for the exchange and communication between various communities
on the two sides and ought to have wider participation, pool the wisdom of all, discuss the current issues in a pragmatic manner, look ahead to the future opportunities of development, create the conditions for mutual trust and mutual benefit, and make a greater contribution to the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.
The Forum was of the view that the cross-Strait economic relations have evolved to a new starting point, where some new pivotal opportunities have presented themselves. Meanwhile, the international financial crisis has proliferated and spread on a continuous basis, causing shocks to the economies and the life of peoples around the world and on both sides of the Strait. In order to seize the opportunities, meet the challenges, join hands to respond to the international financial crisis, and expand and deepen
cross-Strait economic exchange and cooperation, so as to promote economic development on both sides, benefit the compatriots on both sides, and continuously open up new prospects in the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, the participants from various communities, after two days of discussions, put forward the following joint proposals:
I. To Cooperate Actively in Response to the Impact of the International Financial Crisis
- Mutually beneficial cross-Strait economic cooperation should be
strengthened and the methods and ways of responding to the international financial crisis jointly explored. It is necessary to adopt appropriate
approaches to strengthen mutual support in financial and economic domains to promote the steady development of economy and finance on both sides. - Strengthened cooperation should be promoted between the two sides to solve the financing-related problems that numerous small and medium-sized Taiwan-funded enterprises have encountered, and support and help Taiwan-funded enterprises in their transformation, upgrade, and sustainable development.
II. To Promote Cross-Strait Financial Cooperation
- The two sides of the Strait should, as soon as possible, discuss the establishment of mechanisms of cooperation in the regulation of banking, securities, and insurance industries and a currency clearing mechanism, and conduct exchange and cooperation between the stock exchanges on the two sides, so as to create better conditions for the expansion of cross-Strait financial cooperation.
- Information exchange and regulatory cooperation between the financial regulators on the two sides should be strengthened and the steady and sound operation of the financial institutions on both sides maintained, to enhance their capacity to ward off financial risks.
- Financiers on both sides should be encouraged and urged to conduct human resources training and academic exchange in various forms and through various channels.
III. To Mutually Take Part in Domestic Demand Expansion and Infrastructure Construction
In response to the global economic recession, both sides are actively pushing ahead with relevant plans for expanding domestic demand and strengthening infrastructure construction. The two sides should take concrete action to support the enterprises on both sides in mutually participating in domestic demand expansion and infrastructure construction, create new business opportunities, and boost the capacity for joint response to the changed economic landscape.
IV. To Deepen Cross-Strait Industrial Cooperation, Broaden Its Coverage, and Raise Its Calibre
- The industry exchange and communication between the two sides should be strengthened, cross-Strait mechanisms of cooperation for industry
characterized by synergy of advantages established, and a rational setup of cross-Strait industrial division of labour and cooperation gradually formed. - Cooperation should be intensified in such fields as information, communications, environmental protection, new energy, biotechnology, Chinese medicine including herbal medicine, aviation industry, textiles and fibres, LED lighting, and industrial design.
- In-depth cross-Strait cooperation in such areas as high technology and basic science should be promoted, cross-Strait cooperation in jointly making technical standards for such industries as electronic information strengthened, and the industrialization of scientific and technological research and development outcomes accelerated.
- Speedy and convenient cross-Strait inspection and quarantine procedures for agricultural products should be established through consultation as early as possible and cross-Strait technical exchange and cooperation in inspection and quarantine strengthened.
- Enterprises on both sides should be encouraged to cooperate in the exploitation of oil and gas resources.
V. To Strengthen Cross-Strait Cooperation in Service Sector
- It is necessary to actively create conditions to encourage and support Taiwan service sector in entering the mainland market and help turn the service sector into a new hotspot for cross-Strait economic cooperation.
- Cooperation should be strengthened in many areas of the service sector, including information service, transportation and logistics, commercial retail, medical care, accounting, management consultancy, vocational and technical education, cultural creativity, and telecommunications.
- The two sides should further reinforce the mechanisms for healthy and orderly exchange and cooperation in tourism, jointly simplify the process of application for visiting Taiwan, and actively expand mainland residents' tour of Taiwan in sequential and progressive steps. VI. To Perfect Direct Cross-Strait Sea and Air Links
- The two sides of the Strait should, in view of the growth of market demand, positively consider increasing the number of flights and, as soon as possible, make arrangements for converting routine charter flights into scheduled flights, while communicating with each other and finalizing plans regarding the establishment of more convenient direct routes and aircraft safety technology.
- Efforts should be made as soon as possible to facilitate the establishment of for-profit agencies and operating offices by airline companies from the two sides on the other side, so as to expand the mutually beneficial exchange and cooperation between the operators.
- The sea transportation operators on the two sides should strengthen their contact and allocate transportation capacity in a rational way in view of the market demand, to ensure that the sea transportation markets on both sides are disciplined and orderly. The competent departments on both sides should take practical and effective measures to provide full safeguard for the rights and interests of shipping companies engaged in cross-Strait direct shipping. VII. To Strengthen Cross-Strait Fishery Cooperation
- The two sides of the Strait should at the earliest possible date establish, through consultation, a fishing labour cooperation mechanism and fishery dispute handling mechanism, put various management measures into practice, and safeguard the rights and interests of mainland crew and owners of fishing vessels.
- It is necessary to strengthen cross-Strait cooperation and exchange on issues related to fishing resources and jointly protect the fishing resources in working fisheries, so that the fishing industry on both sides can develop on a sustainable basis.
VIII. To Strengthen the Protection of Investment Rights and Interests - The two sides of the Strait should discuss and sign agreements on the protection of investment rights and interests and establish and perfect a
mechanism for the protection and coordination of investment rights and interests between the two sides.
- The two sides should, as soon as possible, hold consultations on issues that bear on the interests of enterprises on both sides, such as cooperation in intellectual property rights protection, avoidance of double taxation, facilitation of customs clearance, and standards-based testing and certification.
- The mainland side should further enforce the relevant laws and regulations on the protection of investment rights and interests of Taiwan businessmen and perfect the relevant working mechanisms.
IX. To Realize the Normalization of Cross-Strait Economic Relations and Help Establish Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Mechanism
- Normal flow of capital, information, and technology between the two sides should be promoted at a faster pace and two-way investment achieved. - The Taiwan side should, as soon as possible, make arrangements concerning the ways and domains in which mainland enterprises may participate in Taiwan's economic construction and, as soon as possible, announce
supporting measures on such issues as mainland enterprises' capital inflow and outflow and personnel movements, thus creating necessary conditions for mainland enterprises' investment in Taiwan.
- The two sides of the Strait should hold consultations on market opening and the protection of vulnerable industries, reach a consensus, and make arrangements.
- It is necessary to facilitate an early consultation on the joint crackdown on crime, in order to maintain the order of cross-Strait exchange and safeguard the rights and interests of the compatriots on both sides.
- It is necessary to facilitate the establishment of a cross-Strait economic cooperation mechanism in a step-by-step way, starting with the easier issues first, in order to solve the problems present in the cross-Strait economic exchange and expand mutually beneficial cross-Strait economic cooperation. Source: Xinhua news agency domestic service, Beijing, in Chinese 0902 gmt 21 Dec 08