Top News
Mainland, Taiwan sign pacts on fishing, etc
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-23 07:12
 |
Large Medium Small |
 Chen Yunlin (L, front), president of the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), and Chiang Pin-kung (R, front), chairman of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), exchange agreements in Taichung, southeast China's Taiwan, Dec. 22, 2009. [Xinhua] |
STANDARDS MEASURING
The ARATS and the SEF signed the agreement on the cooperation in standards measuring, inspection and certification in a bid to facilitate economic and trade contacts and improve the safety and quality of trade products.
It was hoped that the agreement would improve cross-Strait industrial cooperation, create a favorable investment environment and protect rights of consumers on both sides.
Under the agreement, the two sides agreed to work together on the establishment of common standards in key areas and construction of an information platform to share standards. Cooperation in legal measurement and information exchanges in measuring techniques and control would also be strengthened.
The two sides will carry out technical cooperation in inspection and measuring of product safety, and promote the establishment and implementation of certification and accreditation systems in new areas.
The two sides will establish a bulletin system of goods safety information and intensify communication and coordination on handling unqualified goods.
They will set up a special working group separately to decide concrete plans and further cooperation, according to the agreement.
Zhang Guanhua, deputy director of the Institute of Taiwan Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the agreement would be an important basic mechanism for the two sides to deepen economic contacts and cooperation.
"Enterprises on both sides will be more competitive, if the mainland and Taiwan can work out common standards for emerging industries such as photovoltaic and LED (Lighting Emitting Diode) and make the standards internationally accepted," Zhang said.
FISHERMEN EMPLOYMENT
With an agreement signed after the talks, Taiwan fishing boat owners can hire people from the mainland to engage in offshore and deep-sea fishing and vice versa.
Crew of the same rank on board the same fishing boats from both the mainland and Taiwan are entitled to the same payment and labor protection measures, according to the pact.
Both sides agreed to respectively establish a system to allow fishing boat owners and crew file complaints and set up a mechanism to settle disputes on labor cooperation as well as guide business entities to settle labor disputes and emergencies.
The mainland and Taiwan will inform each other massive safety emergencies in a timely manner, jointly adopt measures to settle emergencies and severely punish business entities that violate the pact, it said.
The two sides also agreed to evaluate the execution of the pact regularly through work meetings and exchange of visits.
"Under the agreement, there will be much fewer unnecessary conflicts in cross-Strait fishermen employment. It's a win-win agreement for mainland fishermen and Taiwan shipowners," said Pan Hsi-tang, a professor from Taiwan-based Tamkang University.
All the three agreements are supposed to take effect within 90 days after they are signed.
