A senior Chinese mainland official called on Taiwan authorities to facilitate negotiations on fruit exports to the mainland in Beijing Friday.

Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, urged the related Taiwan departments to promote cross-Straits non-governmental trade organizations to negotiate on selling Taiwan fruits in the Chinese mainland as soon as possible so that the mainland could rescind import taxes of certain fruit types at an early date.

Chen made the remarks during his meeting with a delegation headed by Director of Kuomintang (KMT) party central policy committee Tseng Yung-chuan, who came to the mainland on farm produce cooperation issues. Members of the delegation are from the KMT and the People First Party (PFP) in Taiwan.

KMT Chairman Lien Chan and PFP leader James Soong visited the Chinese mainland earlier this year and respectively held talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao. The mainland then decided to increase the number of fruit types that could be exported from the island to the mainland from 12 to 18 and 15 of them would be free of tax.

"As it is approaching Taiwan's fruit season, we hope the related Taiwan departments to take a flexible and practical attitude to promote cross-Straits talks on Taiwan's fruit sales in the mainland for the sake of Taiwan farmers' welfare," Chen said, adding that he appreciated the KMT and PFP for their efforts to facilitate and implement the consensus reached in previous cross-Straits talks and their work for Taiwan farmers' welfare.

He said more and more Taiwan compatriots had seen new development vision of cross-Straits peace, stability and mutual benefit from KMT and PFP leaders' mainland visits and they cherished such relaxations in cross-Straits relations.

He hoped the people from all circles in the mainland and Taiwan will take the opportunity to expand cooperation, achieve a win-win situation and a bright prospect featuring constantly improving and developing cross-Straits relations.

An official with the Taiwan Work Office also said they hoped KMT and PFP could propel Taiwan authorities to "make reasonable decisions" on Taiwan fruit exports to the mainland.

(Xinhua News Agency July 9, 2005)