Participants in a forum on economic and trade relations across the Taiwan Straits that opened here Friday called for joint efforts for win-win economic cooperation to benefit compatriots on both sides of the Straits.

Economic and social development of the Chinese mainland will not only benefit people on the mainland but also bring about enormous business opportunities to the compatriots in Taiwan, said Jia Qinglin, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The development of the mainland is sure to promote cross-Straits economic exchange and cooperation in a wider range and broader fields and to a higher level, said Jia, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Communist Party.

"It is an urgent task for both the mainland and Taiwan to raise their technological level, change their economic growth pattern and enhance their innovation capacity to develop an innovation-oriented economy," said Jia, also chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top advisory body.

Lien Chan, honorary chairman of the Taiwan-based Chinese Kuomintang party (KMT) agreed with Jia and said the booming trade across the Taiwan Straits had played a key role in Taiwan's economic growth over the past six year.

The opening of the mainland market helped Taiwan maintain an annul economic growth of 3.57 percent in the past six years despite dwindling demand and declining consumption on the island, said Lien, who leads a KMT delegation to attend the two-day forum.

Lien said the development of the Chinese mainland should not be demonized or smeared, or regarded it as a threat. The mainland provides market for countries like the United States and Japan, which helps them increase their production efficiency and their people's purchasing capacity, relieve their deficit or economic stress, and channel their investment into industries with high value added.

Lien criticized Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party for its political policy that has severely conflicted with the demand to push forward Taiwan's economic development.

"This makes Taiwan lose the momentum of further economic growth," he said.

Lien called for peace and common development across the Taiwan Straits, reiterating his stance on cross-Straits relations and hoping that proposals put forward at the forum could boost the development of cross-Straits ties in the future.

(Xinhua News Agency April 14, 2006)