Cooperation in technological standards across the Taiwan Straits took a significant step yesterday, as Taiwanese audio solution provider C-Media Electronics Inc joined the Intelligent Grouping and Resource Sharing (IGRS) standardization group in the Chinese mainland.

The Taipei-based C-Media said it had endorsed the IGRS, becoming its 45th member and the first audio solution member from Taiwan.

The IGRS standard working group, initiated by Chinese computer giant Lenovo Group, aims to connect electronic devices including computers, home appliances and mobile phones in a wireless and seamless way.

C-Media released its first audio solutions based on the IGRS protocol Wi-Sonic, which allows multimedia content on computers to be played through home stereo systems in a wireless way.

Eric Cheng, chairman of C-Media, said his firm had already partnered another Taiwanese firm D-Link to sell products in Taiwan and will seek to sign similar deals with partners in the Chinese mainland.

C-Media will also contribute some key intellectual property rights to the IGRS working group.

Sun Yuning, head of the working group, said C-Media's technology in audio solutions is just what his group needs.

He said IGRS will publish a national standard.

The partnership between C-Media and IGRS is the first substantial step in co-operating on technological standards across the Taiwan Straits. The move comes after Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, reached consensus with Kuomingtang Chairman Lien Chan and People First Party Chairman James Soong from Taiwan on co-operation in wider areas of the economy in April and May.

Lien Sheng-wen, an investor of C-Media and son of Lien Chan, said the partnership is a perfect example of industries across the Taiwan Straits working together to increase their technological capabilities and market presence.

He said US, European and Japanese companies almost all use key technologies and standards in the electronics industry and made huge profits from it, while electronics companies in Taiwan make only meagre incomes as manufacturers.

"But the rise of the industries in the Chinese mainland brings a new direction to Taiwanese companies," said Lien.

The huge market and the quick progress of technology in the Chinese mainland, with the strength of Taiwanese companies in product design and international market development, enables industries to become technological leaders across the Straits. Co-operation in standardization is a good way to achieve that goal.

Pang Chien-Kuo, chief consultant to the Sinocon Industrial Standards Foundation in Taiwan, said in May in Beijing that industries across the Straits should work closer in standardization.

He said Sinocon will join the Audio and Visual Standard (AVS) working group, another standardization effort in the Chinese mainland.

(China Daily June 23, 2005)