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Mainland's delegation leaves for talks in Taiwan

By Zhao Chunzhe (chinadaily.com.cn/Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-21 11:25

A delegation of the Chinese mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) left Beijing Monday morning for Taiwan to attend a new round of talks.

According to ARATS President Chen Yunlin, who is leading the delegation, cross-straits cooperation between fishing vessel crews, cooperation on quarantines for agricultural products, cooperation on the measurement standards and test certification, and the avoidance of double taxation are among the subjects that will be discussed.

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Chen will meet Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), on Tuesday in the island city of Taichung.

The ARATS and the SEF are authorized by authorities in the Chinese mainland and Taiwan to handle cross-Straits issues.

"Tuesday is the winter solstice of the year, when Taiwan people usually eat Tangyuan (sweet dumplings) to celebrate a new year. We will invite representatives from both sides to have a taste of Tangyuan to celebrate the one-year growth of our relationships," said Lai Shin-Yuan, chief of the island's "Mainland Affairs Council".