Across China: Beijing

Taiwan ties to advance

The Chinese mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) intends to further advance cross-Straits economic ties and maximize mutually beneficial cooperation this year, ARATS president Chen Yunlin said yesterday.

ARATS will focus on the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) as well as the protection of intellectual property rights between the mainland and Taiwan this year, Chen said at yesterday's ARATS board meeting in Beijing.