Taiwan and China to discuss partial free trade agreement, further economic cooperation

October 1st, 2009 Premier: Taiwan needs strong defense against ChinaTAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan needs to maintain its defense against China while pursuing peaceful cross-strait relations, the island's premier said Thursday, as Beijing staged its biggest-ever military parade to celebrate the 60th anniversary of communist rule. Wu Den-yih's statement came on the same day China showed off its advanced military hardware in a parade with over 100,000 people.

August 19th, 2009 TAIPEI - Taiwan, in a major policy change, will stop seeking to join the UN at the upcoming UN General Assembly but will try to join some UN organisations, a newspaper reported Wednesday. In line with President Ma Ying-jeou's call for diplomatic truce with China, along with pragmatic reasons, Taiwan will stop mobilising its diplomatic allies to ask the UN General Assembly to discuss Taiwan's membership but will seek to join some UN organisations, the United Daily News said.

August 15th, 2009 BANGKOK - China and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Saturday signed an investment pact that provides guarantees against nationalisation, riots and disputes and is expected to boost investment. "The ASEAN-China Investment Agreement is expected to boost bilateral investments by 40 to 60 percent over the next two years," Thai Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai said after inking the pact with Chinese Commerce Minister Chen De-ming.

August 13th, 2009 BANGKOK - India on Thursday signed the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement in Goods following the meeting of the ASEAN-India Economic Ministers held in Bangkok. Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma and ASEAN Economic Ministers signed the pact on trade in goods under the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).

July 22nd, 2009 TAIPEI - Tens of thousands of people in Taiwan watched Wednesday's partial solar eclipse, but few said they still believe in superstitions that the eclipse could spell disaster. In Taipei, clusters of people gathered in squares, parks and on rooftops to try to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon, which appeared as a total eclipse in parts of India, Nepal, China and Japan and a partial eclipse in other areas of Asia.

July 16th, 2009 GENEVA - Taiwan has joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement that opens up government contracts to international competition, an official said Thursday. "This was not an easy process and various compromises were needed on all sides along the way," a member of the committee that finalised the government procurement agreement (GPA) late Wednesday said.

April 26th, 2009 China, Taiwan sign agreements to boost cooperationBEIJING — China and Taiwan signed three agreements Sunday that will enhance economic ties between the rivals and increase the frequency of flights, amid efforts by Taiwan's president to improve relations with Beijing. One agreement, signed at a meeting in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, sets the stage for financial services firms to open branches in each other's territory, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency.

April 26th, 2009 China, Taiwan hold talks on economic cooperationBEIJING — Negotiators from China and Taiwan were expected to sign a financial cooperation pact Sunday amid efforts by Taiwan's president to improve relations with Beijing. The agreement would allow banks to open branches in each other's territory, according to Chiang Pin-kung, the Straits Exchange Foundation president and Taiwan's top envoy to the talks in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing.

April 25th, 2009 China, Taiwan to increase economic cooperationBEIJING — Envoys from rivals China and Taiwan meet this weekend to discuss a trade agreement and sign pacts to increase economic cooperation. The talks come as Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou tries to develop more amicable relations with the mainland following strains over his predecessor's pro-independence stance.

April 25th, 2009 China, Taiwan open talks on economic cooperationBEIJING — Envoys from rivals China and Taiwan were in talks on a trade agreement and preparing to sign pacts to increase economic cooperation amid efforts by Taiwan's president to improve relations with Beijing. Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou is pushing for an agreement to ease trade barriers, which he says is needed to keep Taiwan competitive.

April 22nd, 2009 BEIJING - China and France have signed an agreement to extend their cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear power. The three-year agreement, which was signed Tuesday by the heads of the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) and the French Atomic Energy Commission, is the 10th agreement of its kind between the two nations.

April 18th, 2009 Taiwan to discuss trade agreement with ChinaTAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan will discuss a partial free trade agreement with China and sign pacts to enhance economic cooperation during high-level talks in late April, negotiators said Saturday. President Ma Ying-jeou has worked aggressively since taking office last May to turn a corner on his predecessor's anti-China policy and improve economic and trade ties with the mainland.

April 15th, 2009 BEIJING - In a bid to improve cross-Straits relations, China's mainland negotiator Chen Yunlin and his Taiwan counterpart Chiang Pin-kung are planning to hold a new round of talks in April or May. "The talks between the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) will focus on joint efforts to crack down on crime, regular cross-Straits flights, financial cooperation and judiciary assistance," State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Li Weiyi said at a press conference.

January 15th, 2009 TAIPEI - Taiwan and China are expected to launch regular passenger and cargo flights in July, ending Taipei's six-decade ban on cross-strait air links with the mainland, a newspaper said Friday. The Commercial Times, quoting an unnamed official, said Taipei and Beijing plan to hold talks in late May to discuss opening regular flights and sign a pact.

December 30th, 2008 BEIJING - China Wednesday said it is willing to discuss with Taiwan 'proper and reasonable' arrangements for the island's participation in international organisations, as long as they conform to the 'one China' policy. Delivering his speech to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the mainland's 'Message to Compatriots in Taiwan', President Hu Jintao here said: 'Although the two sides of the Taiwan Straits have been split since 1949 by a civil war, the political confrontation between them did not change the fact that they belonged to one China'.