Government and Policy

Cross-Straits business agreements to take effect

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-19 21:15

BEIJING - Three agreements signed by Chinese mainland and Taiwan negotiators to cooperate in farm produce quarantine, employment of fishermen, and to deal with different product quality standards are to take effect on Sunday, mainland sources said Friday.

The three agreements were reached on December 22 last year at talks between the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), which handle cross-Strait issues on behalf of their respective authorities, according to the ARATS.

Under the pact on farm produce quarantine, the two sides agreed to address differences in food safety standards and set up a mechanism to cope with farm produce quarantine emergencies.

The mainland and Taiwan will inform each other of epidemic outbreaks related to farm produce and report regularly on safety problems found in farm produce exports and imports, such as toxic substances and harmful infestations.

They will also set up a system to trace farm produce quality across the Strait, which means Taiwan will assist mainland importers in investigating production and processing of farm produce and vice versa.

The agreement on the cooperation in standards measuring, inspection and certification was signed to facilitate economic and trade contacts and improve the safety and quality of trade products.

Under the agreement, both sides will work together on the establishment of common standards in key areas and construction of an information platform to share standards. Cooperation in legal measurements and information exchanges in measuring techniques and control will be strengthened.

They will set up a special working group separately to decide concrete plans and further cooperation, according to the agreement.

With the agreement on employment of fishermen, Taiwan fishing boat owners can hire people from the mainland to engage in offshore and deep-sea fishing and vice versa.

Crew members of the same rank on board the same fishing boats from both the mainland and Taiwan are entitled to the same pay and labor protection measures, according to the pact.

All the three agreements would take effect within 90 days of their signing, the two sides agreed.