Premier Mao Chi-kuo on Wednesday met with representatives from the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), which helped forge two new agreements with China.
Officials from Taiwan and China on Tuesday signed agreements on aviation security and preventing double taxation. The signing took place during the 11th round of high-level talks in the southern Chinese city of Fuzhou.
Premier Mao said that the agreements are important for the people, businesses and governments on the two sides.
“The agreements that was signed in this round of talks regarding double taxation will help to reduce taxes on individuals and businesses, increase the competitiveness of Taiwanese business people in China, make Taiwan’s investment environment more attractive, and increase economic growth of our nation," said Mao. "As for the flight safety agreement, that will help the efficiency and safety of cross-strait aviation and boost the development of the cross-strait aeronautics industry. The signing of these two agreements is good for individuals, businesses and the governments on both sides.”
Mao said that the MAC would continue to negotiate a variety of other issues with China, including trade in goods, and the possibility of setting up representative offices in each other's territory.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s top envoy who signed the agreements was Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Lin Join-sane. The foundation is a semi-official body in charge of cross-strait exchanges in the absence of official ties.
Lin on Thursday met with Su Shulin, the governor of Fujian Province, where the talks were held. He offered his thanks for Fujian’s long-term assistance to Taiwanese businesspeople. He also spoke about plans for Fujian to begin providing water to the outlying Taiwanese island of Kinmen in 2017. He said he hoped that the project could begin earlier.
Su responded by saying that Fujian hopes to not only provide Kinmen with water, but also electricity, natural gas, and a bridge that would link it to the southern coast of China.