Beijing launches initiative to strengthen Taiwan ties

Beijing has launched a basket of initiatives to promote economic, cultural and social exchanges between Taiwan and the mainland, South China Morning Post reported. The director of the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office announced that there would be 31 measures in total at the Sunday opening of a week-long forum on cross-strait relations. In one measure, China’s Supreme People’s Court will grant legal status to civil arbitration agreements made by arbitration committees in Taiwan. The 31 initiatives are the latest attempt to bridge increasing political mistrust between the two sides of the strait.