A forum on agricultural cooperation will be held in Taipei in October, a spokesman for the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of the China Central Committee said yesterday.

 

According to the spokesman, the forum will be sponsored by the Taiwan Work Offices research center and a research fund of the Kuomintang party.

 

The spokesman said the forum would be one of the inter-party exchange programs in accordance with the consensus reached by the CPC and Kuomintang last year.

 

"According to the consensus, the Chinese mainland and Taiwan will take turns in hosting the cross-Strait forums," the spokesman said. "Therefore, the agricultural forum this time will be held in Taipei."

 

He noted that a cross-Strait economic and trade forum was held in Beijing last April.

 

The spokesman said people in Taiwan shared the same hope for the peaceful and stable development of cross-Strait ties.

 

"The Taiwan authorities should treat the forum with an active attitude and offer necessary conveniences," he said, stressing that the forum was expected to work out effective measures to solve the current problems in the cross-Strait agricultural cooperation.

 

The Taiwan authorities have reiterated its goal to revitalize the local economy in recent days. A recent survey cited by Xinhua showed that most of Taiwan residents believe that a sound economic relationship with the mainland was helpful to Taiwan, and the Taiwan authorities should make efforts to this end. Xinhua did not give the source of the survey.

 

"The upcoming forum will bring benefits to cross-Strait compatriots, especially farmers," the spokesman said.

 

A spokesman with the office told Xinhua that Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office, will head a delegation to the forum. The 60-plus-member delegation will include leaders of trade associations and agricultural companies, as well as some scholars.

 

The forum will focus on entry to the World Trade Organization and cross-Strait cooperation in agriculture.

 

(Shanghai Daily August 3, 2006)