Taiwan's negotiator boosts cross-Straits relations

BEIJING - A Chinese mainland spokeswoman said on Wednesday that outgoing Taiwan's chief negotiator Chiang Pin-kung has made active contributions toward boosting cross-Straits relations.

Fan Liqing, spokeswoman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a press conference that Chiang's active efforts to promote cross-Straits negotiations and improve relations have been recognized.

Chiang became chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) in 2008. The foundation acts as a chief negotiating body alongside its counterpart, the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS).

Chiang, who will turn 80 at the end of the year, announced last week that he will officially resign from his post on September 27.

Fan said Chiang took the post at a time when cross-Straits relations faced a historic turnover. During Chiang's tenure, the SEF and ARATS resumed dialogues on basis of the 1992 Consensus, which had been suspended for nearly ten years at that point.

Both sides arrived at 18 agreements for improving the well-being of Chinese in both the mainland and Taiwan after eight rounds of talks, Fan said.

Smooth contact and cooperation between the SEF and ARATS have helped solve many difficulties for people on both sides and effectively maintained their interests, as well as enhanced their relations, Fan said.

Fan said the mainland supports industrial and commercial entities that wish to establish offices on both sides, adding that the SEF and ARATS can discuss more detailed arrangements.