Taiwan Premier upbeat on Cross-Strait exchanges: Xi, Ma to meet at APEC?

TAIPEI - Taiwan is committed to working with mainland China and institutionalising exchanges and negotiations across the strait, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said in a BBC Chinese interview. Establishing reciprocal representative offices, fast-tracking negotiations on a trade in goods agreement and pushing for an unprecedented meeting between the leaders of Taiwan and mainland China are all on the agenda, he said.

Discussions are still under way to facilitate the meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou and his mainland Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at this year's Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Beijing, he said.
According to Jiang, the historic June meeting in Taiwan between the heads of Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council and Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office was conducive to furthering cross-strait exchanges. With the formalization of a communication platform, cross-strait relations are expected to progress steadily, starting with economic issues such as the trade in goods and services agreements, he added.
At the same time, with a view to reducing trade dependence on mainland China, Jiang said Taiwan is expediting trade liberalisation by establishing Free Economic Pilot Zones while seeking admission to regional trade blocs such as Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
The FEPZs will help Taiwan pool domestic resources and attract foreign investment from countries such as Japan, he said, adding that the government is developing the Japanese, Southeast Asian and US markets in a bid to diversify its trade portfolio and strengthen global partnerships. www.taiwantoday.tw/ (ATI).