Hopes for cross-strait economic cooperation talks

The spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, Yang Yi, says he hopes Taiwan can ensure cross-strait talks go smoothly. The Mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and the Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation are due to meet in Taiwan next month.

Yang made the remark when asked whether the talks would be postponed after Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party reportedly threatened to stage protests during the meetings. ARATS and SEF are scheduled to hold their fourth round of talks since resuming negotiations in June last year. The goal is to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement by the end of the year.

Yang said, "We should continue to follow the approaches of putting aside difficult issues, and making economic issues the priority in advancing cross-Strait consultation, and strive to launch the consultation process for a cross-Strait economic cooperation framework agreement within this year."