A forum on agricultural cooperation will be held in Taipei in
October, a spokesman for the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist
Party of the China Central Committee said yesterday.
According to the spokesman, the forum will be sponsored by the
Taiwan Work Offices research center and a research fund of the
Kuomintang party.
The spokesman said the forum would be one of the inter-party
exchange programs in accordance with the consensus reached by the
CPC and Kuomintang last year.
"According to the consensus, the Chinese mainland and Taiwan
will take turns in hosting the cross-Strait forums," the spokesman
said. "Therefore, the agricultural forum this time will be held in
Taipei."
He noted that a cross-Strait economic and trade forum was held
in Beijing last April.
The spokesman said people in Taiwan shared the same hope for the
peaceful and stable development of cross-Strait ties.
"The Taiwan authorities should treat the forum with an active
attitude and offer necessary conveniences," he said, stressing that
the forum was expected to work out effective measures to solve the
current problems in the cross-Strait agricultural cooperation.
The Taiwan authorities have reiterated its goal to revitalize
the local economy in recent days. A recent survey cited by Xinhua
showed that most of Taiwan residents believe that a sound economic
relationship with the mainland was helpful to Taiwan, and the
Taiwan authorities should make efforts to this end. Xinhua did not
give the source of the survey.
"The upcoming forum will bring benefits to cross-Strait
compatriots, especially farmers," the spokesman said.
A spokesman with the office told Xinhua that Chen Yunlin,
director of the Taiwan Work Office, will head a delegation to the
forum. The 60-plus-member delegation will include leaders of trade
associations and agricultural companies, as well as some
scholars.
The forum will focus on entry to the World Trade Organization
and cross-Strait cooperation in agriculture.
(Shanghai Daily August 3, 2006)