Mainland, Taiwan economic pact open to opinions before formal negotiations: advisory body spokesman

BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) would be open to opinions of business people on both sides before formal negotiations on details, a political advisory body spokesman said here Tuesday.

Zhao Qizheng, spokesman of the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks at a press conference of the top political advisory body's annual full session, which will open Wednesday.

Formal negotiations of the pact would be held at the fifth round of talks between the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and the island' s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), two organizations authorized to handle cross-Strait issues.