Fair Promotes Across-straits Economic Ties

Despite the political disparity across the Taiwan Straits, South China's Guangdong Province will continue efforts to tighten economic ties between the province and the island.

Zhao Yufang, deputy general-director of the Guangdong Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation, said Tuesday that relentless efforts to enhance the economic exchange will best serve the country's ambition to unify Taiwan with the Chinese mainland.

One of the main events the provincial government organizes is the annual Guangdong-Taiwan Economic, Technological and Trade Exchange Fair, Zhao said.

The third annual fair will be held next Wednesday and Thursday in Dongguan, a city with the highest concentration of Taiwan business people on the mainland.

At least 15,000 Taiwan business people are expected to join those already on the mainland at the fair. The fair hopes to promote opportunities with the province in capital, resources, market, scientific and technological development and trade.

Over the past two decades, Guangdong has become the first investment choice for Taiwan businesses, as well as the largest export market on the mainland.

During the first five months of this year when the world was nervous about the tensions across the Straits, Guangdong continued to see a sharp increase in both capital inflow from Taiwan and foreign trade.

Taiwan business people pledged to invest another US$229 million in the province while having pumped in US$230 million. Both figures showed increases of 48.5 and 37.1 per cent respectively compared with the same period last year.

And from this January to April, imports from Taiwan to Guangdong increased by 20.18 per cent to US$4.3 billion while the export volume increased 7.4 per cent to US$532 million.

"By integrating the advantages of both sides, Taiwan and Guangdong can achieve a win-win result, not only bolstering the province's economy but also expanding the development of Taiwan," said He Kaibo, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office under the Guangdong provincial government.

Official statistics indicate that by the end of 1999, Guangdong had clinched 7,033 contracts on Taiwan investment projects, worth US$6.1 billion in pledged capital and US$3.4 billion in expenditures.





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