2011-02-22 09:25

TAIPEI - A Chinese mainland delegation arrived in Taiwan on Monday for the first meeting of the cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Committee (ECC), which was established last month under the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) signed between the mainland and the island.

The ECC, which was jointly set up by Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), is assigned to handle issues concerning the ECFA that aims to boost cross-Straits trade.

Zheng Lizhong, head of the mainland delegation and vice-president of ARATS, said upon arrival at a hotel in Taoyuan that the first ECC meeting was "another historical moment in the development of cross-Straits relations."

The meeting will be held on Tuesday.

Zheng and SEF Vice-Chairman Kao Koong-lian are co-conveners of the ECC, while Jiang Zengwei, the mainland's vice-commerce minister, and Francis Liang, the island's senior economic official, will chair the meeting on Tuesday as the top representatives for both sides.

Topics for the meeting include the establishment of working groups under the ECC, negotiations on follow-up agreements and the evaluation of the implementation of the ECFA's "early harvest" program.

Meanwhile, ARATS President Chen Yunlin will arrive in Taiwan on Wednesday to start a six-day tour meant to learn about the island's agricultural sector.