Experts Discuss Cross-Straits Economic Ties After WTO Entry

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, January 08, 2002

Experts Discuss Cross-Straits Economic Ties After WTO Entry

A group of experts and scholars from China's mainland, Taiwan Province, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Tuesday attended a workshop on economic and trade ties across the Taiwan Straits after both sides entered the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The meeting, a "Workshop on the WTO and Cross-Straits Economicand Trade Relations", was sponsored by the magazine "Cross-StraitsRelations" and the Hong Kong-based magazine "The Straits".

Tang Shubei, director of the Cross-Straits Relations Research Center, addressed the workshop saying that the mainland's and Taiwan's entry into WTO are great events that have caught the attention of all the Chinese people including compatriots living in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.

The mainland will open up more in accordance with the WTO rules,which will also lead to the deepening of cross-straits economic and trade relations, Tang Shubei said. He urged Taiwan to readjustits economic and trade policies towards the mainland in accordancewith the WTO rules.

Any attempts by Taiwan to curb imports of competitive farm products from the mainland will also affect the competitiveness ofTaiwan-based companies and make a harmful impact on the economic development of the island province, Tang noted.

He urged Taiwan to further relax its restrictions on mainland-bound investments and restrictions on the mainland's exports to Taiwan. The two sides should find ways to resolve problems in cross-straits economic and trade relations, he said.

Tang stressed that cross-straits economic and trade affairs remain internal ones after both sides joined the WTO. He repeated the mainland's opposition to Taiwan's proposal to discuss cross-straits economic and trade issues under the framework of the WTO.