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Beijing (AFP) July 12, 2010 Chinese President Hu Jintao called for closer ties with Taiwan during a meeting Monday with an envoy from the island after the two sides last week signed a historic trade pact. Hu said the accord between the two long-time rivals was an "important achievement" in developing closer relations and showed ties had entered a "new phase", state television said. Hu made the comments during a meeting in Beijing with Wu Poh-hsiung, honorary chairman of Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang party. Negotiators from Taiwan and China signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing on June 30. The pact, by far the most sweeping between the two sides, marks the culmination of Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou's Beijing-friendly policy, introduced after he assumed power in 2008. Hu said he hoped the agreement could take effect as soon as possible, so that it could bring "substantial benefits" to both sides. Ma had sent Wu bearing a message to Hu that also urged closer ties. The deal will confer preferential tariffs, and in some cases zero tariffs, on 539 Taiwanese products, while 267 Chinese items will be placed on a list enjoying zero or falling tariffs. Critics of the accord on Taiwan say it will strengthen Beijing's power over the island, marking a first step towards reunification, an accusation rejected by Ma. Ma has said he will press for free-trade agreements with other countries in the region, now that the agreement with China has been reached. Taiwan already has free-trade deals with Panama, Guatemala and Nicaragua and has been pushing for tie-ups with other major trading partners as it tries to avoid being marginalised by the growing number of regional economic blocs. But talks have become bogged down, largely due to pressure from Beijing, which still considers the island part of its territory, even though Taiwan has governed itself since the end of a civil war in 1949. China is Taiwan's largest trading partner, its largest investment destination, and now also home to a growing number of Taiwanese people.
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China's exports soar despite Euro-US malaiseBeijing (AFP) July 10, 2010 China said Saturday its exports continued to soar in June, as demand for Chinese-made goods remained robust despite Europe's financial woes and a tepid US recovery. The nation's overseas shipments of items including electronic gadgets, shoes and textiles reached 137.4 billion dollars last month, up 43.9 percent from the previous year. The pace of growth was slower than in May when export ... read more |
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