Cross-Strait service trade talks near end, China

Chinese mainland and Taiwan have ended their talks on a service trade agreement and will submit it for endorsement, a Taiwan official said Monday. The two sides have finished negotiations and the check of the draft agreement as well its annexes, said Wang Yu-chi, mainland affairs chief for the Taiwan authorities. The agreement will be signed at the meeting between leaders of mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF). The date and place of the meeting are yet to be decided, Wang said. The progress has indicated the sincerity of both sides to implement the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) as well as the widening base for mutual trust, he said. "The cross-strait economy and trade has stepped in an era of comprehensive exchanges and cooperation:" This year, Taiwan will deepen its exchanges with the mainland in various levels and promote the establishment of representative offices on each other's sides. The island will also review and amend its regulations on people's relations across the strait, Wang added.