Taiwan-China talks in December

Taiwan and China will begin talks on trade and and economic cooperation in December, Bloomberg reported. Ma Shao-chang, deputy secretary general of Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation said that agreements will be signed on fishing, double taxation and the certification of agricultural and industrial goods, but that an agreement on cross-strait trade still needed to be discussed. Taiwan hopes increased cooperation with the mainland will offset decreases in exports and investment and create new jobs. The island has been hard hit during the global economic recession. Officials from both sides of the strait met in Hangzhou in October to plan for the meeting that will be held in the second-half of December. A seminar will also be held at that time for individuals and companies interested in investing in Taiwan.