Ministry urges Taiwan to lift mainland trade restrictions

The Ministry of Commerce urged Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party to take concrete and effective measures to lift trade restrictions imposed on the mainland.

The trade restrictions placed by Taiwan against the mainland have constituted trade barriers and violated the provisions outlined in the Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, said Shu Jueting, spokeswoman with the ministry, at a news conference on Thursday.

These measures have not only caused significant damage to mainland industries and enterprises but have also adversely affected the interests of consumers in Taiwan, Shu added.

The mainland has always stayed committed to respecting, caring for and delivering benefits to their fellow compatriots in Taiwan. It is crucial to engage in constructive discussions and negotiations on various economic and trade-related issues based on the one-China principle, Shu said.

On Tuesday, the ministry said the mainland has been studying measures to suspend tariff concessions on certain products from Taiwan, including agricultural and fishery products, machinery, automotive parts and textiles, pursuant to the cross-Strait economic pact.

wangkeju@chinadaily.com.cn